A Papua New Guinea tribe's 336-million US dollar court case against the national museum and art gallery for losing their cultural property, the Ambum Stone, will be heard next month.
The Post Courier paper reports, Michael Mangal on behalf of the Kunalini tribe in the Kompiam/Abum district of Enga Province, filed the case in 2002 against the national museum.
But the case was adjourned and will now be heard next May.
Mr Mangal claimed the stone carving went missing while in the national museum in Port Moresby and that was why the Kunalini tribe was filing the case for the museum to find the carving or compensate for the loss.
However, the national museum and art gallery said the Ambum Stone - a stone carving of a foetal echidna - was priceless.
It confirmed that the case was before the court.
The Ambum Stone is reported to be more than 3,000 years old.
