After Hopis unsuccessfully sued the Paris auction for sacred masks, a private foundation in Los Angeles anonymously bought almost all of these masks at auction

Sacred mask Katsinam Hopi Indian people on the pre-auction exhibition in Paris. Almost all masks were bought at auction the Los Angeles Annenberg Foundation Source : dailymail.co.uk

secret operation to rescue the religious shrines Hopi Indian people was held by a private foundation in Los Angeles . The so-called ritual masks Katsinam of wood, leather and horse hair , which, according to Indian beliefs, keep souls of ancestors , were put up for auction in Paris auction house EVE in early December , despite protests from Native Americans .

Hopi Indians , who number in the Arizona reservations on U.S. census in 2000 , was no more than 7000 people have filed for the auction house to court, demanding to remove the mask from the auction, but lost the case . Such artifacts trade banned in the U.S., but is allowed in France. Masks were allegedly removed from the Hopi Reservation in the early twentieth century , when the world broke interest in primitive art of Native American peoples . At the auction EVE, which took place on the famous auction site Drouot 9 and 11 December , masks were exhibited several private French collections . According to the former owners , the mask came to them legally and they owned them for many years .

This is not the first time that Indian sacred objects exhibited at the auction . In April 2013 with the hammer went the other 70 Hopi masks , despite the protests of the Indians, American diplomats and the intercession of Hollywood actor Robert Redford . Then these few dozen Katsinambyli sold for 1.2 million dollars . This is a solid result and spurred other collectors to sell masks .

When it became clear that the mask back in court does not succeed, it was decided to buy out the mask at auction. In the role of savior gave Los Angeles a private Foundation Annenberg , which has allocated 500 thousand to $ 1 million for the purchase of 24 masks Katsinam and three other sacred artifacts of Indian people - Chiricahua tribe - Apaches . The plan was kept secret from everyone, even from the Indians . If the intention of the Fund have been discovered prior to bidding , it would lead to an increase in prices . Involved were people on both sides of the Atlantic : some orders over the phone ( with the time difference , California residents have to do it at night) , someone followed the course of trading in the saleroom in Paris. "It was like a movie ," recalls Hall was in Paris lawyer Pierre Servan- Schreiber (Pierre Servan-Schreiber). At some point, the owner of the auction house sensed something was wrong , noting that all the masks go to the same party . After his aides made ​​in the client's solvency , bargaining resumed .

a result, over 530 thousand dollars managed to buy 21 of the mask 24 and the three - Chiricahua Apaches object . Another mask was bought a pair of collectors, as sympathizers Hopi they are also going to get her back in the U.S.. Ie Hopi to return all the masks , except for two . You can imagine what kind of emotions experienced Indians , a few hours after the auction to get a letter in which they reported on secret purchases in their favor .

Prepared by Mary Onuchina , AI

Sources : nytimes.com , huffingtonpost.com , artdaily.com , dailymail.co.uk , artinvestment.ru