A quote by a friend of the Hopi.

Mr. Gilles Néret-Minet, the director of the Paris auction house, has said repeatedly that he will not delay the $1 million sale. Gilles Neret-Minet told the New York Times that the Hopi should understand the sale as an "homage" to them. "Even if it chagrins them, for the tribe this is not a negative, I think the Hopis should be happy that so many people want to understand and analyze their civilization."

I quote a friend of mine and a friend to the Hopi: "The Hopi Tribe has had it's "civilization" "analyzed" invasively for far too long. They do not want to be "analyzed" anymore. Theirs is a culture to be preserved for the Hopi People, not inspected, analyzed, stolen from or sold. Stealing and selling their sacred objects can never be considered an "homage. "That's just an excuse, a rationalization. This whole episode only serves to demonstrate Mr. Néret-Minet's ignorance and greed. He should not dare tell the Hopi People what is good for them; transplanted Europeans have been doing that for over 500 years and they are tired of it. Nothing about this should make the Hopi People "happy" as he asserts. Ignorant and insensitive statements like that can only serve to inflame the situation.

Also, assertions that there is no need to pay attention to the Constitution of the Hopi Tribe because they are not a "state," are completely absurd. The United States of America recognized the tribes as sovereign nations deserving of treaties just like any other sovereign nation and, as such, the Tribes rise above the status of even the 50 states of these United States. Further, many nations recognize the Tribes as sovereigns and some have their own recognized visas, etc. So, the Hopi Tribe has the status of a sovereign recognized to deal with the Federal Government of the United States on a government-to-government or nation-to-nation basis. I believe this qualifies the Tribe as at least a "state.""

A last remark from me: Hopi in their own language means: peaceful people. In dealing with this subject we have to remain polite. The Hopi do not want demonstrations at the auction house if the sale would go through.

Hopi Katsinam alert

Sadness reigns and I am afraid that also arrogance is at play. There are few means at the disposal of the Hopi to try and repatriate their sacred Katsinam. The tribe receives help from two major museum directors. The tribe also receives advice from the State and Interior Departments, but each agency says its ability to intervene is limited. The sale is supposed to bring one million dollar. Some people are suggesting to hold a collection and buy the Katsinam in order to repatriate them and give them back to the Hopi, the Zuni, Jemez and Acoma. Most of the Katsinam are over 100 years old. I love Katsinas and own three of the small 'dolls' carved to teach their meaning to children and which can be sold to tourists. Yet the Katsinam in the auction are ceremonial sacred objects with a specific function. They are irreplaceable. Only their rightful custodians know how to care for them, how to use their power. International law seems not to regulate this situation. Yet moral law does. The auctioneers wonder why another auction last December by a smaller auction house in Paris didn't cause any reaction. Well, the Hopi didn't know, could not react. I know that Hopi religion is has strict ways of doing things and as a visitor on Hopi it is easy to do something inappropriate out of ignorance. Selling these Katsinam is inappropriate. The auction house Neret-Minet Tessier & Sarrou knows it is. The tribes, museums and individuals caring about this disastrous sale have told them so.

Please do tell them too, let them know how you feel:

M. Eric GENESTE

31bis rue du Faubourg Montmartre

75009 PARIS

Tèl: # 33 6.72.74.71.42

Email: erics@wanadoo.fr

70 Hopi Katsinam friends in auction - continued...

Yesterday I explained a bit why these Friends should not be auctioned off but returned to the Hopi Nation.

One should be aware that the items to be auctioned by Néret-Minet are religious artifacts, cultural property and considered by the Hopi people to be stolen goods. As I explained yesterday these objects have a deep spiritual meaning and are extremely important to the continuation of Hopi religion. The well-being of the Hopi people depends also on them in the long run. If someone years ago has bought these items then  one should be aware that whomever had those items in custody sa only the caretaker of those items and not the owner. That person had no legal authority to sell them. These Katsinam masks are community property as well as cultural property. By law and custom these items are not mere old religious paraphernalia. The spirit of the beings they represent is contained in them. Translated from Hopi language, they are Friends and can never be personal property. I am convinced that American law, if not international law protect just this kind of items. When a few weeks ago catholic items were robbed from a church in Hungary, there followed an outcry that these old object are not art objects, but items used in religious ceremonies. It is truly important that these Hopi Friends be returned home to the Hopi religious societies that have always been and still are responsible for the welfare and care-taking of these Masks and other objects. I hope the auction house well engage in a dialog with the Hopis so that these Friends can be repatriated to the appropriate Hopi religious society. I only now begin to understand what it means to have a structured worldview with different societies and clans each fulfilling a function within the whole of Hopi and the world according to a strict calendar where time and space is linked and thus forms the religious ceremonial cycle.  And don’t think it is all sullen and serious….  Hopi like to laugh and talk and joke.  In Hopi culture there are no medicine men. Hopi have healers, often specializing in broken bones or broken spirits… To mend broken spirits the communal ceremonies are important and for that all the Katsinam need to come home. I add a declaration of the Hopi Nation:
          "Pursuant to ARTICLE VI –POWERS OF THE TRIBAL COUNCIL, SECTION 1, (k) CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS OF THE HOPI TRIBE, the Hopi Tribe/Hopi Cultural Preservation Office, of Arizona, USA, strongly opposes any sale of Hopi religious objects, described by your auction house as “70 Katsinam masks of the Hopi Indians of Arizona…”.  These Katsina friends are sacred objects and objects of cultural patrimony held under religious custody by the Hopi people:
                "It is our position that these sacred objects should have never left the jurisdiction of the Hopi Tribe.  Also, no Hopi has any right or authority to transfer and sell these items currently in your possession as they are considered cultural patrimony.
                "Religious objects such as these, have no commercial value.  It is our position that no one, other than a Hopi tribal member, has a right to possess these ceremonial objects.
                "You are urgently asked to take these item off your auction and inform your clients that the Hopi tribe does not approve of them being auctioned off.  Rather, we urge you and your clients to make immediate contact with the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office to begin respectful discussions to return them back to the tribe.
                "You may also know that the country of France, was among the first nations to sign the United Nations Declaration on Indigenous Rights.  Your auction house needs to respect this important international recognition of indigenous and Hopi rights.
                "Thank you for your consideration of our position on this matter.”

                Leigh J, Kuwanwisiwma, Director, Hopi Cultural Preservation Office, Hopi Tribe