Canterbury, 9 September 2011
British auction house, the Canterbury Auction Galleries, was planning on selling a sacred aboriginal stone called “tjuringa”. According to the Australian tradition, this kind of stone must not be seen by women.
Estimated around £6000, the stone was withdrawn from the auction because of the lobbying by the Australian’s ambassador and the Australian High Commission who estimate this auction is not appropriate for such a cultural and sacred object.
As reported by the AFP, even in Australian this kind of stone isn’t displayed in museums because of its aboriginal traditions and cultures.
As a consequence, the seller and auction house have taken the piece off the market. The stone will apparently join the collections of the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.