"The Hopis... regard the objects in the Paris sale, which they call Katsinam, or 'friends,' as imbued with divine spirits."

"They object to calling them 'masks' and say that outsiders who photograph, collect or sell them are committing sacrilege.... The Néret-Minet auction house... estimates that it will bring in $1 million. Many of the objects are more than 100 years old and carry estimates of $10,000 to $35,000.... 'Sacred items like this should not have a commercial value,' said Leigh J. Kuwanwisiwma, director of the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office in Kykotsmovi, Ariz. 'The bottom line is we believe they were taken illegally.'"