Native%20Americans%20fail%20to%20halt%20artefact%20auction%20in%20France

A Paris auction of masks and statues considered sacred by two Native American tribes went ahead as planned on Wednesday, raising more than 400,000 euros ($450,000), despite fierce opposition from the indigenous groups. The sale of 15 artefacts marked a new defeat for the Hopi and Acoma tribes, which have been trying for two years to put an end to such transactions and demanding the pieces be handed over. The Hopi Tribe Council and Pueblo of Acoma had allied with the US-based Holocaust Art Restitution Project (HARP) this week to ask France’s Board of Auction Sales to suspend the sale conducted by the Druout auction house. They claimed the objects were illegally exported from the United States, and that their sale broke US federal laws. But a representative of the French board said Wednesday that ‘the request was not deemed admissable and was rejected’.

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