French Court Allows Auction of American Indian Artifacts

[n2doc]

By NICOLA CLARK
Published: April 12, 2013

PARIS — A French judge ruled on Friday that a major auction of ancient Native American masks and other artifacts could proceed despite a request by the American ambassador that the sale be delayed until the legal status of the items could be determined. The ruling came just hours before the sale was to begin.

The Hopi tribe of northeastern Arizona had challenged the auction of around 70 elaborately painted masks and headdresses, saying that they were sacred, communally owned objects that they believe may have been obtained illegally more than a century ago.

“This is a very unfortunate outcome, as these objects will now be sold and dispersed, and the likelihood that they will eventually return to their true home amongst the Hopi is severely reduced,” Pierre Servan-Schreiber, a lawyer representing the tribe, said in a statement after the judge’s ruling. “It also probably means that French institutions are still not fully aware of the devastating consequences that such mercantile fate for truly sacred objects may have on tribes who have already suffered so much.”

Reached by telephone, Mr. Servan-Schreiber said that he had filed a last-minute motion with the French regulator that oversees auction houses to request the sale be suspended. But he conceded that it was unlikely that the regulator would “have the appetite” to intervene.

more

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/13/world/europe/french-court-allows-auction-of-american-indian-artifacts.html?hp&_r=0

[JustAnotherGen]

1. That's horrible