Thursday 14 July 2022

US Non-profit Profits from Trading in Antiquities


As William Taylor alerts, the Mongolia Society, based in Bloomington, Indiana claims to be "a private, non-profit, non-political organization that promotes the study of Mongolia, its history, language, and culture, its aims are exclusively scholarly, educational, and charitable". They import and "distribute" scholarly books and periodicals, "as well as prints, music, and craft items from Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Buriatia". But not only. In their current 'Naadam Fundraiser 2022', they are auctioning artefacts/antiques as a fundraiser.

                     Golden Horde (Wikipedia)                     

There are "Historical Items - Coins" (including metal detected "Antique Russian Coins", and an "Antique Coin of the Vandals" - it is not... it resembles a Wiener pfennig of the 13th-14th centuries). Then there is a largish selection of, mainly metal, "Historical Items - Antiques" including 23 labelled as "Golden Horde" items. I'd be very wary of buying anything thus labelled (especially if it's imported from Buriatia - where a lot of the troops now committing atrocities in Ukraine have been coming from). The territory of the Golden Horde is now a chunk of the Russian Federation. How did the Mongolian society objects reach Indiana?

There is a huge problem with looting and trafficking in the region:

William Taylor, 'Beyond Genghis Khan: how looting threatens to erase Mongolia's history Mongolia’s cold, dry climate can result in incredible archaeological finds, but a harsh economic downturn means looting has risen to disastrous levels' Smithsonian Magazine Thu 26 Oct 2017.

Julia Kate Clark, 'As Mongolia Melts, Looters Close In On Priceless Artifacts Climate change and desperation are putting the country’s unique history at risk', The Conversation April 11, 2018

It is therefore very puzzling why an ostensibly "scholarly and educational" organization should promote the commerce in such artefacts in any form.
  

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