Thousands of artifacts seized from private collector in Indianapolis.

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Thousands of cultural artifacts were taken away from the private collector in Indianapolis by the FBI agents on Wednesday. Don Miller, 91-year-old collector from Waldron, Indianapolis, was not arrested or charged, however, his huge collection that he was acquiring for more than eight decades was seized today. Among the artifacts there were many American Indian items. 

According to the FBI agent, Robert A. Jones the agency was well aware of Mr. Miller’s collection and acted upon the art crime team initiative though no investigation on Mr. Miller has been launched yet.

During the whole day FBI vehicles and special tents could be easily seen in rural Waldron, about 35 miles from Indianapolis.

There are no details on any item from the collection that might have been linked to the investigation but Jones has mentioned that the collection is enormous. He did confirm that it would probably take "weeks or months" in order to organize everything in the catalogue.

Larry Zimmerman, professor of anthropology and museum studies at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis shared that the news is "Frankly, overwhelming." He also added, "I have never seen a collection like this in my life except in some of the largest museums."

Jones said the cultural value of the collection goes beyond measure and it consists of various items from China, Russia, Peru, Haiti, Australia and New Guinea.

According to Jones, the house where Mr. Miller kept the objects was far from the museum but he made quite an effort to maintain them in good conditions. The FBI agent also mentioned that for now the aim of the investigation is to find out what does the collection consist of, where it came from and how did Miller acquire it. There is a possibility that some of the items were possessed illegally.

If it turns out that this is the case, then the agency will look into when did Mr. Miller buy them. It is possible that the collection was acquired before the passage of US laws or treaties prohibited their sale or purchase.

Dark Rain Thom, a Shawnee descendant who served on the Indiana Native American Indian Affairs Commission said that very often the world gets to know about the collection when the owner passes away and the younger generation doesn’t know what to do with it and try to sell it. Sometimes the new owners quite donate it to museums in the country or return to the place of origin, to the native tribes, for instance.
Read more: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_04_04/Thousands-of-artifacts-seized-from-private-collector-in-Indianapolis-8572/