Hopi - Native Americans Outraged Over Auction Of Religious Items
FRONTERAS
By Laurel Morales
ARIZONA — A Paris auction house plans to sell 70 sacred Native American artifacts. The northern Arizona Hopi Tribe is outraged and wants them back. The Hopi call them Katsina friends and they are treated as such. The Hopi people use them in ceremonies and dances to call upon the spirits to bring them rainfall, healing and protection. "Annually the Hopi people petition the spirit beings that are personified through Katsina to come to the Hopi villages," said Leigh Kuwanwisiwma, director of the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office. Kuwanwisiwma said they are not pieces of art, so they cannot be sold. Two Arizona museums have asked the auction house to cancel its sale. The Paris auction house has displayed the items on its website for its upcoming sale April 11. [link]
By Laurel Morales
 |
| Hopi Katsina friend |
