Charges of looting used to punish environmental activist?

In an interesting report from AP:

A Tibetan environmentalist once praised as a model philanthropist was sentenced to 15 years in prison Thursday on charges of grave robbing and dealing in looted antiquities, in a case supporters said was aimed at punishing his activism.

Would or could an environmentalist rob tombs and engage in the black market trade of antiquities? The relationship between natural and cultural heritage has been discussed on this blog and certainly elsewhere. As Paul Barford points out, Archaeological Looting is an Environmental Issue.

We obviously do not know all the facts of the case in question and we may never find out, but anyone who acts to protect the environment should understand that cultural heritage is everyone's birthright, as are clean air and fresh water.

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Gulf Coast cultural resources protection

In response to the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Disaster, the National Parks Service's Cultural Resources Geographic Information System Facility (CRGIS) provides an interactive map showing at-risk sites within the affected area as well as other pertinent information. According to their web site, "certain sensitive sites, such as archeological sites, are not displayed."

In addition, among the many laws that come into play in this situation there are two key federal statutes that cover cultural heritage and archaeological resources:

1. The Park System Resource Protection Act.
The National Park Service has responsibility for on-land and undersea cultural heritage sites that are on federal park land, pursuant to the Public Law 101-337, Park System Resource Protection Act (Title 16 U.S.C.19jj). This is the principal statute that requires the Secretary of the Interior to assess and monitor injuries to park system resources. The Act specifically allows the Secretary of the Interior to recover response costs and damages from the responsible party causing the destruction, loss of or injury to any cultural heritage or archaeological or historic site that is on National Park Service land or within the boundary of a NPS undersea resource. This Act provides that any monies recovered by the NPS may be used to reimburse the costs of response and damage assessment and to restore, replace or acquire the equivalent of the injured resources.

2. NMSA
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has responsibility for undersea resources at National Marine Sanctuaries (sometimes that jurisdiction may overlap with NPS, most of the time there is no overlap) pursuant to the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (Title 16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq). This is the principal statute governing the designation and management of protected marine areas of special significance (including historical, cultural, archaeological and scientific resources). The statute requires NOAA to designate National Marine Sanctuaries in accordance with specific guidelines and to develop and review management plans for these sites. It provides for the continuation of existing leases, licenses and other established rights in sanctuary areas, and for the development of research and education programs. The statute also prohibits destruction, injury or loss of sanctuary resources, and establishes liability for response costs and natural resource damages for injury to these resources. The NMSA was formerly referred to as Title III of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972.

Federal jurisdiction extends from the shoreline to the edge of the U.S.EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone). According to usgs.gov "The EEZ extends up to 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the U.S. coastline. About 15 percent of this area lies on the geologic continental shelf and is shallower than 200 meters. Within its EEZ, the U.S. has sovereign rights over all living and non-living resources."

The laws are in place. What's next?

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Buyers Beware

Related to the New York Times story commented here, it's disheartening to see that nothing has changed since Roger Atwood's 2007 critique regarding U.S. media coverage of antiquities issues.

"Trophy Hunters With Their Eyes on Interiors" is a puff piece that glorifies adventurous exploits in search of the "ultimate" authentic-looking old objects. The story advertises and promotes architects, designers and contractors, and justifies their if-you-have-to-ask-you-can't-afford-them fees. Instead, the Times could have told its readers and trophy hunters alike a cautionary tale, which would be much more useful to everyone.

First, importing certain antiquities from countries which have signed bilateral agreements to restrict importation of antiquities is against the law. Not only that, buyers may have to return their coveted purchases to their countries of origin.

At the very least, the article could have mentioned the numerous international and local governmental and non-governmental efforts underway in these ready-for-the-taking-third-world-countries to PRESERVE their remnants of the past.

Finally, genuine history cannot be bought. It is lived. Rich people who seek rich-looking items might do better to live rich lives. Their cobblestones WILL in time acquire "just the right" moss. Theirs too will have the smoothness, color and patina that come from aging. In time, they too could have rich history to leave behind.

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NYTimes Home & Garden FAIL

I realize that Home & Garden isn't the section of The New York Times racking up the most Pulitzers, but that's no excuse for what was published there. In a piece entitled "Trophy Hunters With Their Eyes on Interiors," the reader is acquainted with a handful of daring "ultra-high-end contractors" who are tasked by their demanding clients to find all manner of old, ancient, antique, distressed and generally "very aged"-looking building materials all over the globe, preferably in third-world, war-torn countries. These include architectural elements, wood and stone reliefs, sculpture in the round and raw materials, such as stone and wood. Why? These (in at least one case) self described "modern-day Indiana Jones" contractors report it is mostly because you can "'get the merchandise for less money.'"

Heritage and natural resource protection issues are engaged in a staggeringly vague and naive way. When one of the profiled contractors is asked, "isn't he concerned that, in buying up old doors and walls from 100-year-old homes, he's taking a country's irreplaceable heritage?" his response is:

Tastes change, and people want what they see as new and better....Why should I dictate where and how people live, just because to me it seems charming or quaint? I'm not the one living there. I know what's beautiful to me and I want to make good use of it.

Ugh.

To be fair, the author, Joyce Wadler, shares enough anecdotal information to lead the reader to believe that natural resources, namely wood, can be tricky to get out of sources countries without the right papers. And, she offers, at the rock-bottom of the piece, a link to the Forest Stewardship Council. She is utterly silent about cultural resources. Would it have killed Ms. Wadler to spend a very little bit of time researching the law on this? She clearly has some sense that what is happening here isn't quite kosher.

By not doing this, by not setting the practice of looting the cultural resources of vulnerable swaths of the third world into some sort of legal and moral context she has delivered a story with a destructive message: The rich desire these things and because of that lots of other people should too. These "ultra-high-end contractors" and their extractive work is heroic and glamorous. This swells the trade which leads to the increasing destruction of cultural resources. And, no messy moral problems because the locals are happy to sell it to us - cheap!

The New York Times, the "paper of record," should know better and this is shameful.


Image: The New York Times

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Oil in the Wake

Since April 20, 2010 the world has been reeling from the shock of a massive disaster. Not a natural one, but one inflicted upon us by our own greed and desire to satisfy our way of life and need for petroleum. This disastrous oil spill was caused by British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that sank after exploding.

President Obama has been vocal about his interest in addressing efforts to clean up the mess. Additionally, the press has splashed the controversy across the headlines. We at SAFE wonder what steps have been taken to protect the archaeological heritage of the Gulf region?

The National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior is responsible for reacting to this threat to our cultural resources. According to a fact sheet, issued on their website, eight National Parks are threatened by the oil spill. While the oil slick grows daily according to updated maps, many of the parks remain open to the public even though health concerns abound. The NPS response is to undertake an assessment of the potential threat. Is there more we can do to protect our shorelines and underwater cultural heritage? Do you have the answer?

A recent New York Times article focuses on the consequences the spill has on the tourist economy of Florida along with their campaign to lure scuba divers to visit the state. Nothing is mentioned about the possible damage to or initiatives for the protection of shipwrecks. Maps are tracking oil sightings and the effects on the wildlife, but there is no mention of possible damage to cultural sites.

This is the beginning of a SAFE initiative to research the efforts for the protection and preservation of the cultural heritage sites in the Gulf. We hope to promote awareness about the issue and encourage your support.

Soon to come are a Flickr campaign to post photos of sites, responses from archaeologists and cultural resource specialists, and updates on measures undertaken.

Let’s protect these sites before they are destroyed in the wake of this disaster.

Photograph by Sean Gardner, Reuters

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SAFE congratulates Bob Wittman on "Priceless"

Robert K. Wittman, who recently retired as Senior Investigator and Founder of FBI's Art Crime Team, has given us decades of service recovering stolen art and antiquities. He has now also told his story.

The new book takes the reader away from Hollywood fantasies and academic theories to the harsh, gritty reality of art crime. Described by Wittman as "a memoir, not an autobiography or exposé", Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures highlights the fact that the theft of cultural property is anything but a victimless crime. And Wittman's book recounts them all: from individuals, institutions, states, governments, countries, to history, memory and identity.

Deftly written by Wittman with John Shiffman, the book offers case studies of successful recoveries. And like every human story, it also includes disappointments and regrets. The trials and tribulations of undercover work are portrayed in a matter-of-fact style that is all the more remarkable given the accolades Wittman has received. The Wall Street Journal called him “a living legend.” The London Times dubbed him “the most famous art detective in the world.” But don't let the self-effacing style fool you. Priceless is full of valuable information rarely known outside the field, and insights only someone who has "been there and done that" could offer.

No wonder AP calls Priceless "absolutely, hands down, the best book ever written on art crime."

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Christie's: "we plan to proceed with the sale of these lots"

Dalya Alberge has written about the forthcoming antiquities sale at Christie's New York for the Wall Street Journal (June 3, 2010). She quotes Paolo Ferri, the Italian prosecutor, on the three lots that appear to have similarities with objects featured in the Medici Dossier.

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Will museum displays tell it as it is?

Derek Fincham's post Paracas Textiles makes an interesting point about an exhibition of endangered textiles from Peru in the Museum of World Culture, Gothenburg, Sweden. Entitled "A Stolen World", the exhibition not only highlights one of "the most sought-after heritage objects in the illegal market", it describes how the textiles were looted and donated to the Ethnographic Department of Göteborg Museum. In plain, simple language. No disguise, no nonsense.

When will the Museum of World Culture's U.S. counterparts follow suit? We think that they could do a better job educating the public simply by telling us what the museums themselves already know. One such rare example is described here where provenance was the topic of exhibit discussion.

The recent SAFE Tour led by Haidy Geismar brought this deficiency into sharp focus. The newly renovated Pacific Hall of the Rockefeller Wing at the Met is filled with objects with virtually no descriptive text about the people, and how the objects were used, or are still being used. A tiny map on the wall of one of the entrances is hardly visible and mostly overlooked. Left without information, a visitor can only respond to superficial qualities. If something pleases the eye, one can then imagine how an object would look in their home. Not much more.

Museum visitors deserve more. "All that matters is how it looks" doesn't work anymore.

Phoot: Museum of World Culture

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Shelby White's Foundation Expansion

In February 2010 the billionaire Shelby White created a selected group of individuals to function within the Leon Levy Foundation, its purpose to “make available information” from excavated sites that have not been published. But information only from nations having a partage system at the time of excavation, i.e. a division of finds between the host nation and the excavators, are eligible. But archaeologists—the Foundation’s new group excepted—knowledgeable of Plunder Culture actions are aware that they consider plundered antiquities to be a “partage,” exploiting its neo-logistic coinage by J. Cuno. An example is White’s refusal to return to Turkey half of a statue of Herakles plundered from Perge, purchased from an antiquity dealer, thus normal partage to this group. The Foundation’s statement suggests that the publication of unexcavated plundered antiquities will not be excluded from funding.

The Foundation’s new group has ten members. White is an antiquity collector, who is the Chair, determined by her financial gift. The other members include four museum Directors (T. Potts, R. Hodges OBE, J-F. Jarrige, and S. Herbert), and one ex-Director (de Montebello); one museum curator (D. Arnold); a number of “distinguished archaeologists” (Rose, Hodges, Potts, S. Heath and S. Minyaev). They will determine who gets/is denied publication funds. Four of the members are museum Directors, one an ex-Director, and one an antiquity collector: the majority of the members.

Brian Pennsylvania Rose, Deputy-Director of the University of Pennsylvania Museum, is the President of the said-to-be Archaeological Institute of America. He is infamous for crippling the AIA, smilingly reaching out to the plunderers, proclaiming that plunderers and archaeologists have a “Common Ground.” He first linked the AIA to plundering activities by declaring Indiana Jones, an archetype plunderer, as a model “in stimulating the public’s interest in archaeology….as a benefit to archaeology….archaeologists...dig Indy.” Rose celebrated the actor who played Indiana Jones at an AIA Gala “Honoring” party, and had him appointed a Trustee of the AIA (Personal disclosure: I resigned from the AIA last year after more than 50 years’ membership). And now he has carried his goals further by becoming a supporter of White. In published photos he is posed next to White, both collegially smiling. Rose has now added Shelby to his list of those plunderers he digs Query: will he soon get her an appointment as Trustee of the AIA? Hodges has written for and advised the antiquities dealer Jerry Eisenbergs’s plunder-defender journal Minerva, which for years contained advertisements from antiquity dealers. He was quoted in the New York Times 12/6/07: 10) condemning Fordham University’s Museum for accepting a gift of plundered antiquities: “The message it sends is there is nothing wrong with looting and buying illegal objects,” the very same message he now blithely proclaims: because he digs Shelby (and her potential gifts to his Museum).

Potts abandoned archaeology to become a plunder supporter as Director of the Kimball Art Museum to “build up” its antiquity collection; he is now Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge. Heath has served as Vice President of the Un-Professional Committee of The AIA. He is also a Visiting Scholar at White’s Institute. De Montebello is the group’s Special Advisor” At The Metropolitan Museum de Montebello has purchased hundreds of antiquities from all over the world, as “partage” from “source nations”. He has also named an MMA gallery in White’s name. Minayev may be an innocent bystander. No Foundation member will serve archaeology; they will defer to de Montebello and White.

Rose and Hodges have now brought the AIA and the University Museum further into the depths of the plunder culture. Query: are there any honest archaeologist members among the AIA’s Officers and Trustees who will react to this, impeach its President? Surely no member of the University Museum’s Governing Board will react to Hodges; he has an OBE. Furthermore, excavations conducted by Rose/ Hodges’ museum not under partage (its correct meaning) are not eligible for publication funding by the Foundation of which they are prominent members. Thus, sites like Gordion in Turkey that remain to be fully published will be denied Foundation funds!

My position on raising funds for publication has been stated by me for some time in lectures and publications. I have no objection, archaeological or moral, to archaeologists seeking funds from White (I even once asked her Foundation to fund an archaeological publication; she refused): provided they do not cater to her, or support her plunder activities as return payment, viz. Lawrence Stager of Harvard University. K. D. Vitelli received money from White, but never ceased to oppose her and other plunders, for which she was criticized for not supporting her in her partage activities. Further, I do not oppose the publication of antiquities, no matter where their modern provenance exists, provided that scholars disclose this information and note their unexcavated nature: one cannot ignore unexcavated objects, they exist, we cannot throw away the baby with the dirty bath water. The new Levy Foundation group will reject such disclosure. The archaeological discipline is fragmenting while too many scholars look the other way.

Oscar White Muscarella

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