CAG on museums: The Hopi mask auction and cultural ownership

Hopi Woman Making Pottery, 1910 Copyright Detroit Publishing Company

The auction that took place in the Paris auction house Neret-Minet Tessier & Sarrou on April 12th as raised issues of cultural heritage ownership, indigenous religious considerations, and property law as it applies to objects. The American Indian lot of Hopi and other masks sold for 752,000 Euros, which was three times the general asking price. The most expensive single mask sold for 160,000 Euros, and 66 masks out of 70 were sold. The Hopi Indians are a federally recognized American Indian tribe living on a reservation (once shared with the Navajo Nation) in Northeastern Arizona where the 19th and 20th century masks were collected around the 1930s and 1940s.

The masking culture of the Hopi has to do with their religious ceremonies, which are considered sacred and are kept secret from those not participating in the events. These masks are considered ‘sacred objects’, which means that images of the objects should not be printed, masks cannot be sold, and the ownership of masks by non-Hopi collectors or museums is also considered offensive by the tribe. In keeping with the ideas of the tribe’s religious beliefs, I am not including any images of the masks in this post, but some of the masks that went on sale can be seen by following the link to this article.

This kachina appears in the Home Dance or Niman Ceremony.
Kachina dolls like this one embody the characteristics of the spiritual
Kachina Ceremony where one would see the masks, but can be
created for trade or just as treasured objects

The sale of sacred Indian artefacts has been outlawed in the United States since 1990, as the upholding of American Indian religious values has been written into the law, but in France this is not the case. To stop the sale of these cultural artifacts the Hopi entered a court battle, but lost and the sale proceeded. The masks made of wood, horsehair, feathers, and leather, which were brilliantly colored and decorated went to private collections, French museums, and one mask was purchased by a French foundation to be returned to the Hopi.

Bear Kachina by Clyde Harris. Copyright Wright’s Indian Art.
Finely carved kachina figures are very detailed and expensive

These issues of ownership, restitution, and honoring the religious traditions of indigenous cultures have always been issues that interest me. They are also difficult subjects to bridge from the perspective of someone who works in a museum, while also wanting to balance the needs and wishes of the cultural owners of these objects. The French auction is another example of a long line of arguments over cultural heritage that have been pursued over the years (i.e. Parthenon marbles, Rosetta Stone, etc.), which place museums, collectors, and auction houses at odds with source communities around the world seeking restitution of their objects.