UCTP Taíno News - Taíno community members have expressed outrage upon learning that the renowned Christies' Auction House will be auctioning off "Taíno Masterworks" in collaboration with France's Musee de l’Homme on November 10, 2021. An online petition calling for a halt to the auction and a return of the sacred items has garnered substantial visibility of the issue with thousands of signatories and mainstream press coverage. Individual community members have taken to the internet to support the call to stop the sale and for the repatriation of the cultural items.
The United Confederation of Taíno People (UCTP) has expressed public support for the petition and condemned Christie's for facilitating these sales. In a communication sent to Christie's representative, Fatma Turkkan-Wille, UCTP President, R. Múkaro Agüeibaná Borrero stated:
"The UCTP condemns
these auction plans and demands a halt to the scheduled proceedings. The UCTP further calls upon the seller
to immediately enter into a dialogue with Taíno leadership and the Government of the Dominican Republic to
plan an appropriate repatriation process."
The UCTP communication further states that the pending sale is "a violation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples."
UCTPTN 11082021