Sacred objects from the Hopi and San Carlos Apache tribes native to North America will be auctioned in Paris on Monday, despite objections from the United States and a legal challenge filed on behalf of the Hopi tribe, the EVE auction house said, reports FRANCE 24.
The US embassy had asked France to suspend the sale of the 32 ceremonial masks, head-dresses and other objects after a legal challenge by advocacy group Survival International filed on behalf of Arizona's Hopi tribe was dismissed on Friday.
The embassy said in a letter to the auctioneers that it had asked for the delay so that the two tribes "might have the opportunity to identify the objects, investigate their provenance and determine whether they have a claim to recover the items under the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, to which France is a signatory, or under other laws".
The convention aims to fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural property across the world.
"The Hopi tribe was able to argue their case before a judge (last week) and was rebuffed,'' said a statement from the auction house. EVE also noted that "an exchange of detailed letters took place with the San Carlos Apache tribe".
"The sale will therefore take place in an entirely legal manner," auctioneer Alain Leroy said in the statement.
Read more of this report from FRANCE 24.