BRITISH AUCTION house Christie’s has come under fire for a planned auction of artefacts that reflect indigenous Caribbean culture. 

Christie’s plans to auction over 100 different items that represent Taino culture and history, with items expected to sell for between £3,700 and £150,000.

The items are entitled Pre-Columbian Art and Taino Masterworks from Fiore Arts Collection, and are scheduled to be sold today in Paris at 3pm. 

A petition has been launched on change.org to halt the sale and has so far attracted over 38,000 signatures. 

The petition was launched by Stephanie Bailey, who is the chief of the Arayeke Yukayek, a Taino tribe –with several members based in the United States. 

Speaking to CBS News, she said: “The overall sentiment of the Taino people is, we feel it’s wrong, we feel it’s wrong for Christie’s to be auctioning off anything that belongs to our ancestors.” 

The Taino were an indigenous people of the Caribbean, and were the principal inhabitants of islands now known as Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, The Bahamas, Puerto Rico and many other countries in the region. 

Ms Bailey’s petition states: “We, the Taino, are the first indigenous peoples of Turtle Island to be colonised. We are not “extinct” and survived the horrors of Columbus and his men. So much of our culture was lost and innumerable of our sacred artefacts destroyed or stolen by Europeans since 1492.

“Christie’s is selling Taino Masterworks that hold invaluable sacred, historical, and cultural importance to the Taino peoples.

“Please sign our petition to halt the November 10th auction, with hopes that these artefacts can be returned to the island of their indigenous Taino creators so that they may be honoured, studied, and displayed for cultural education by the Taino in their homeland.”

A small demonstration was held outside of the Manhattan branch of Christie’s this week, with protestors holding up signs, which read, “Respect Indigenous people! Return our artefacts!” 

The news of the auction is being slammed on social media by those in the Caribbean diaspora, who are urging Caribbean governments to intervene and “demand the return indigenous pieces to where they rightfully belong.” 

Christie’s was founded in 1766 and is a renowned art and luxury business. The company has a physical presence in 46 countries throughout the Middle East, the Americas, Europe and Asia. 

Their auctions span more than 80 art and luxury categories and has a price point ranging from £148 to over £74m. 

This is not the first time Christie’s has come under fire for putting items under the hammer.

In 2020, Nigerian government officials and historians attempted to stop the sale of artefacts from Christies “Arts of Africa, Oceania and North America” collection, claiming it included pieces that were looted when the west African country was under British colonial rule. 

Christie’s strongly rejected the claim and said no items in the sale were stolen or acquired illegitimately.  

The presence of African treasures and artefacts in UK institutions, has come under have increased scrutiny in recent years. 

Earlier this year, the University of Aberdeen announced they were to return a Benin Bronze after a review found it was taken from its country of origin in an “extremely immoral” manner. 

In 2007, Ethiopia demanded the return of Maqdala-era artefacts from the Victoria and Albert Museum. 

The objects were taken from Ethiopia, when British troops attempted to overthrow the Ethiopian Empire during the Battle of Maqdala.

The items were put up for sale at a public auction but were pulled at the last minute, after intense criticisms from the Ethiopian Embassy in the UK.

The Voice has approached Christie’s Auction House or comment. 

To sign the petition, please visit: https://www.change.org/p/taino-indigenous-sovereign-nation-stop-christie-s-auction-of-sacred-taino-artifacts-return-to-them-to-the-taino-homelands