Foundation purchases sacred objects at auction and plans to return them to Native American tribes
Foundation purchases sacred objects at auction and plans to return them to Native American tribes
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This week the Annenberg Foundation purchased 24 Native American sacred objects that had gone up for auction in Paris, France. The foundation says it plans to return all the items to the Native American tribes from which they originated. The auction took place despite a request from the U.S. Embassy to suspend it. It is illegal to sell sacred Indian artifacts in the US. The advocacy group Survival International also took the auction house to court on behalf of the Hopi, but the judge ruled the auction could go forward. Jonathan Mazower, advocacy director for Survival International, joins us to discuss the case.
(Photo: Courtesy of Survival International