FLAGSTAFF, Arizona (AP) – A tribal rights organization in the U.S. says Hopi tribal officials have been presented with one of dozens of Native American sacred masks sold during an auction in France that drew protests.

Survival International spokeswoman Kayla Wieche says the mask was presented to tribal officials and religious leaders in Arizona on Friday.

Attorney Servan-Schreiber participated in unsuccessful legal efforts in France to block the April 12 auction of 70 sacred objects, and he purchased one of the masks to give back to the Hopis.

Advocates for the tribe had argued in court in Paris that the masks represent their dead ancestors’ spirits and are not art.