Contested auction of sacred tribal property brings in $1.6M

Tuesday, December 10, 2013  

An auction of sacred tribal property brought in $1.6 million in France on Monday.

The Hopi Tribe of Arizona went to court in hopes of stopping the auction but a judge refused to take action. The San Carlos Apache Tribe, whose items were also in the collection, wanted to join the case but was unable to file legal papers in time, the Associated Press reported.

The U.S. Embassy in Paris sent a representative to the auction to "show solidarity with the two tribes," AFP reported. The items went quickly.

Some items from Zuni Pueblo were also up for sale

Get the Story:
Native artifact sale in Paris makes $1.6 million (AP 12/9)
Hopi Indian sacred objects sold in Paris auction despite protests (Reuters 12/9)
Tribal masks fetch $942,000 in controversial French sale (AFP 12/10)

Hopi Tribe loses bid to stop auction of sacred property in France (12/9)
Hopi Tribe files suit to block auction of sacred property in France (12/3)