Sacred Peace Pipe Sells for $40,000; Buyer Returns it to Minnesota Tribe

The Prairie Island Tribal Council President announced Monday that a sacred pipe linked to the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 and sold at auction in Boston Saturday has been returned to its native home in Minnesota by the person who paid $40,000 to own it.

On Saturday, the auctioneer said that the pipe sold for nearly double its expected value to an unnamed buyer. The council then learned that the purchaser was bidding on the item with the sole purpose of returning it to its rightful owners.