As a kanaka maoli, it was heartbreaking to hear recently that a prominent Hawaiian cultural artifacts collector, Rainer Werner Bock, put up for auction more than 1,000 items at the Aguttes auction house in Paris (“OHA criticizes auction of Hawaiian artifacts,” Star-Advertiser, April 6).

Unfortunately, this auction was not the first time that Hawaiian ethnographic items have been put up for sale via public auctions, estate sales and antique shop sales. The market for such items is at an all-time high, with single items, such as feather capes and lei, fetching tens of thousands of dollars.

At the same time, there is an all-time high level of interest in these objects by Hawaiians (and others) who are deeply engaged in trying to revive and perpetuate the Hawaiian cultural practices, such as the making of feather lei and cape, wooden and gourd bowls, hula implements, kapa cloth, weapons, tools, cordage, fish hooks and nets, and a host of other objects. Keeping this cultural knowledge alive is a vital part of staying connected with who we are as Hawaiians.

Because the vast majority of Hawaiian material culture has been completely lost over time, the objects that do exist, wherever they are in the world, are considered to be na mea makamae (treasured objects) of the highest order.

What is again unfortunate is the fact that a large portion of the existing objects are in the hands of individual collectors, as opposed to public institutions such as museums, archives and libraries in Hawaii. Access to public collections is absolutely essential to learning about not only the technical aspects of how to make these objects, but also the cultural significance and importance of each class of objects, and the role they fulfilled in the overall welfare of the people.

It is my strong belief that although collectors have the legal right to hoard their inventory for their own private enjoyment, it is simply unethical to do so. Mahalo nui to those collectors who have publically vowed to donate their collection to public institutions at some point, and shame on those like Bock who are interested only in the monetary value of their objects.

If I personally had the financial ability to buy such treasured objects, my philosophy would be to buy and donate right away at every opportunity. I would get much more gratification in doing this than hoarding them as a private collection. I hope that in the future, those who are in the financial position to buy objects will adopt the same philosophy.

I must also say that I totally disagree with comments made that all Hawaiian objects disbursed to foreigners were stolen or illegally gained in some other fashion. The historical truth of the matter (as hard as it is to accept sometimes) is that throughout foreign visitation and settlement in the 1800s, chiefs of all ranks readily gifted their most treasured objects — feather capes, helmets and lei, large wooden calabash and finely crafted fiber mats, among other things — to explorers, whaling captains, diplomats and others.

Some settlers gained these things through marriage to Hawaiian women, and some routinely traded or purchased items honestly for such objects. On the other hand, some objects were clearly obtained by artifact hunters solely interested in the monetary value of the objects, although it was not illegal at the time for them to do so.

Validating the provenance (chain of ownership) is often difficult, so it is absolutely critical for all sellers and buyers to do their due diligence in researching objects on their own.