A US-based foundation bought 24 Native American artefacts sold Monday at a controversial Paris auction and will return them to the tribes from which they originated. The auction went ahead despite a request from the US embassy to halt the sale.
A US-based foundation has purchased dozens of Native American artefacts sold Monday at a controversial auction in Paris, and will return them to the tribes to which they originally belonged.
The Annenberg Foundation revealed Wednesday that it had bought 24 of the sacred Native American artefacts for a total of $530,000 (€390,000).
"Twenty-one of these items will be returned to the Hopi Nation in Arizona, and three artefacts belonging to the San Carlos Apache will be returned to the Apache tribe," the foundation said in a statement.
The auction of 24 Hopi masks – which are worn by dancers during religious ceremonies and are considered living beings – and three San Carlos Apache objects took place Monday at the EVE auction house despite a request from the US embassy to halt the sale.
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