U.S. Protection of Archaeological Material from Mali

I’ve written before about the looting of archaeological artefacts from Mali. I have just noticed that the agreement with the US which forbids the import into the USA of Mali artifacts has been extended for another five years and now covers archaeological material from throughout Mali dating from the Paleolithic Era (Stone Age) to approximately the mid-eighteenth century.. I feel strongly that this information should be added to all tourist information on Mali and should be wider known.

Source: http://exchanges.state.gov/culprop/mlfact.html 

On September 23, 1993, the U.S. took emergency action to impose import restrictions on archaeological material from the Niger River Valley region and the Tellem burial caves of Bandiagara of Mali.

On September 19, 1997, the Government of the United States and the Government of the Republic of Mali signed an agreement that continued without interruption the import restriction placed on the same archaeological material. On September 19, 2002, the Government of the United States and the Government of the Republic of Mali extended the agreement for five years.

Effective September 19, 2007, the two countries extended the agreement for an additional five years and amended it to apply U.S. import restrictions on archaeological material from throughout Mali dating from the Paleolithic Era (Stone Age) to approximately the mid-eighteenth century.

II. Background

These U.S. actions are in response to requests from the Government of Mali under Article 9 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.

Sites throughout Mali represent a continuum of civilizations from the Paleolithic Era (Stone Age) period to the 18th century, lending archaeological significance to the region. The archaeological sites along the length of the Niger River Valley constitute virtually the only known source of information pertaining to the great civilizations that existed there. It is estimated that eighty to ninety percent of the sites surrounding the ancient city of Djenne-jeno, one of the most significant archaeological complexes in the region, have been plundered to meet the demands of the international market. Similarly, Stone Age sites in the Saraha that are crucial to understanding the history of early humans are being picked apart in the search for stone tools. All of this looting of archaeological sites severely limits the ability of Mali to fully understand the pre-modern civilizations of within its borders.

These U.S. actions are intended to reduce the incentive for pillage of Malian artifacts and offer the opportunity for Mali to further pursue the regulatory, institutional, and educational measures it has already initiated. Measures include the implementation of procedures for the inventory and classification of cultural property, an improved export review system, and the creation of cultural missions to educate local populations to better safeguard sites against pillage, thereby maximizing opportunities for scientific excavation. Mali is the first and only African country to request and receive this form of U.S. protection. 

III. Categories of Artifacts Subject to Import Restriction

A complete list is published in the Federal Register notice of September 19, 2007. An illustrated list is available in the Mali Image Collection. Restricted archaeological items dating from the Paleolithic era to the mid-18th century A.D. include: terracotta statues and common vessels; figurines and jewelry of copper and copper alloy, figurines of iron figures; stone tools and grave markers; and glass beads. Leather, textiles, iron objects, wood objects, and ceramic vessels from the Tellem burial caves are also restricted.

IV. Import Regulations

Objects from the Niger River Valley and the Tellem burial caves of Bandiagara listed in the 1993 Federal Register notice may enter the U.S. if they have an export permit issued by Mali or verifiable documentation that they left Mali prior to the effective date of the restriction: September 23, 1993.

Note that, beginning September 19, 2007, objects from sites throughout the country including the Tilemsi Valley, the Boucle du Baoule, the Bura Band, Tondidarou, Teghaza, Gao, Menaka, Karkarichinkat, Iforas Massif (Adrar des Iforas), Es-Souk, and Kidal may enter the U.S. if they have an export permit issued by Mali or verifiable documentation that they left Mali prior to the effective date of the restriction: September 23, 1993 for objects from the Niger River Valley and the Tellem burial caves of Bandiagara listed in the 1993 Federal Register and September 19, 2007 for objects from throughout Mali, and including sites of the Paleolithic Era (Stone Age).

V. For More Information

United States International Cultural Property Protection

Mali Direction Nationale des Arts et de la Culture Ministére de la Culture et du Tourisme Quartier du Fleuve B.P. 116 Bamako, Mali Tel: (223) 22-33-82