Pastor Arrested for Theft of Indian Idols

On January 29, 2010, ten religious folk were taken into custody after trying to smuggle a gaggle of Haitian children (nearly three dozen) across the DR border.  Just two days later, several men were arrested in Periamet, India, for stealing panchaloha idols.  No connection worth mentioning, really, except that one of the thieves is reputedly a pastor (or a “Christian priest”).

The factual parallel highlights how operating from your own private moral ground can cause you to violate communal ethics.  The baptists thought they were helping the children, while the thieves likely lacked understanding of these objects being of religious or cultural value.  Both the baptists and the thieves will be tried under local law — Haitian and Indian, respectively.

For the full story, read Gang Held for Idol Thefts on The Hindu.

Or, US Baptists Charged With Kidnapping Haitian Children, if you’ve been under a rock.

Or, check out the short article on panchaloha idols on Hindu Blog.

Hat tip to Derek Fincham for his Foonote on the arrests.

Call for Articles: Art and Cultural Heritage Law Newsletter

The Art and Cultural Heritage Law Newsletter is seeking article proposals on all things cultural property.  The newsletter is a publication of the Art and Cultural Heritage Law Committee of the ABA Section of International Law.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you may remember a post about my article, Thieves Take a Page Out of Rare Books, which was published in the ACHL Newsletter.  I myself am writing an article for the next ACHL publication, so you’ll be in good company if you choose to contribute.

For more information on the criteria, download the call for articles.

For more information on the Art and Cultural Heritage Law Committee, check out their website.

BBC History of the World Series Draws Criticism

Tom Flynn, art historian and critic of critics, is a top notch blogger — with witty, incisive, and insightful posts.  His recent post, A History of the World in Looted Objects, is no exception.

The colonialist implications of encyclopedic museums may be old hat in the blogging world by now, but apparently they aren’t quite so for BBC, who has starting airing “A History of the World in 100 Objections,” produced in conjunction with the British Museum.

My favorite line from Tom’s commentary on the new show:

What few people realise is that MacGregor’s activities on behalf of the British Museum, although dressed up as a laudable didactic mission of public enlightenment and edification, are actually part of a more urgent project to protect the beleaguered edifice that is the Encyclopedic Museum in Europe and North America.

Zing!  Read the full article here.

Sustainable Energy Donated to Save Banaue Rice Terraces

Several international power companies have teamed up to donate a $1 million sustainable energy facility to Ifuego, the town central to the Banaue rice terraces in the Philippines.  The 2,000 to 6,000 year old terraces cover 4,000 square miles and were nominated as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1995.

The terraces are in danger of destruction due to an increase in erosion, and the corporate donation is designed to help mitigate that destruction.  Presumably the idea is that sustainable, green power will help the preservation of all natural resources in the region, the terraces included.

The corporations also hope to bring attention to the problems facing the terraces, which only grow worse for each year they are not addressed.  It has been estimated that it would cost $400,000 a year to maintain the terraces and prevent erosion.

Read the full article, Green Power To Help Ancient Rice Terraces at UPI.

Ebay Credited for a Decrease in Looting at Peruvian Archaeological Sites

In a previous post, I discussed the role of Ebay in the sale of illicit cultural property.  Most often in the press, Ebay is put in a negative light, and specific instances of enabling the illicit trade are cited.  But recently, a professor at UCLA has shown Ebay may be causing a decrease in the looting of archaeological sites in Peru.   This correlation is explained in that it is now more profitable for would-be looters to devote their time to cheap reproductions.

This was of particular interest to me because I just got back from a month of archaeological site-seeing in Peru.  The sites there are absolutely incredible.  Of course while everyone asks about Macchu Picchu first, I found some of the less popular sites to be more enjoyable to visit.  Less manicured grounds allowed for a sense of discovery and adventure.  The imposition of colonialism on top of ancient monuments gave a unique flair to monuments such as Qorikanka in Cuzco, and there are even open sites where excavation has not even begun (if you’re willing to do a bit of wandering to find them).

In any case, it’s nice to see that an indestructible corporate behemoth like Ebay may actually be doing some good for the cultural property world.  To read more about the specifics of the study and the implications for Peru, see SafeCorner’s coverage of the story in “Ebay and Looting.”