FBI Has Seized an Apparent Apache Scalp From a Maine Auction House
Editor's note: This article was written by a Townsquare Media Northern New England contributor and may contain the individual's views, opinions, or personal experiences.
Auctions are always great, and you can certainly find some interesting things if you choose to attend one. There are so many types of auctions: blind auctions, absolute auctions, minimum bid auctions, and honestly so many more.
I have only ever attended small auctions; I'm talking about a win-a-gift-basket kind of auction. To be honest, I don't think I ever won either, but that is another story. The point is, various items can be found at auctions, and not one is like another.
However, there's a Maine auction house that had a cringe-worthy and possibly illegal item up for sale.
According to WMTW Channel 8, the FBI seized what appears to be the scalp of an Apache person. (I told you, cringe-worthy).
Investigators are trying to determine if this item is authentic and if so, will need to be returned to the tribe, the news station reported.
Back in May, the FBI searched Poulin's Antiques & Auctions Inc. in Fairfield after receiving a tip that they had a Native American item for sale, according to WMTW.
The news station stated that "according to court documents, it was listed as being in a 'pipe bag 30 inches long including rawhide fringe' and was decorated with red, blue, and green designs."
The tag attached to what was described as a "Mescalero Apache scalp" said that it belonged to someone that was killed at Johnson's Run, Texas, according to WMTW, but the tag did not say when the person died, just that it was sent to someone in 1899.
The news station said that as of Thursday no charges had been filed in this case.
It is important to note that selling Native American human remains is a federal crime.