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Auction of tribal cultural items in France fetches less than $1M

Monday, April 15, 2013

A controversial auction of tribal cultural items went ahead as planned on Friday.

According to news reports, all but five of the 71 items in the collection were sold. The auction brought in less than $1 million amid protests inside and outside of the event in Paris.

“They are truly sacred to us; we feed and care for them,” Bo Lomahquahu, a member of the Hopi Tribe of Arizona who is in France on a student exchange program, told The New York Times. “And to see people walking out with them in bags, like some object, I felt really helpless and hurt.”

The Hopi Tribe tried to stop the auction but was rebuffed by a judge in Paris. The tribe says the items were stolen and should be returned.

Get the Story:
Auction of Hopi Masks Proceeds After Judge’s Ruling (The New York Times 4/12)
Despite objections from Hopi tribe, Native American masks sold off at auction in France (AP 4/12)
Hopi masks auctioned in Paris amid outrage and legal objections (The Los Angeles Times 4/13)
Over U.S. objections, Hopi tribal masks sold in France (The Los Angeles Times 4/13)
Hopi Decry Auction of Masks in Paris (The Wall Street Journal 4/13)
Hopi masks sacred to tribe snapped up after French court allows auction (Reuters 4/15)

Some Commentary:
Laurel Morales: This Story Contains Sensitive Language: Who Do Disclaimers Protect? (Fronteras 4/13)