The New York Times reports that the French courts have decided the sale of Hopi masks—disputed by the tribe with support from the US Ambassador—can go ahead:
“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.
French Court Allows Auction of American Indian Artifacts (NY Times)
