The Vatican is returning rare Indigenous artifacts after a century
Vatican returns controversial collection of Indigenous artefacts
- Dozens of Inuit artefacts, repatriated by the Vatican, are scheduled for display at the Canadian Museum of History this Tuesday.
- Indigenous leaders welcomed the 62 items, including a traditional Inuit kayak, upon their arrival at Montreal’s airport on Saturday.
- The collection, held in the Vatican Museum’s ethnographic collection for a century, will eventually return to ancestral communities as part of the Catholic Church's reconciliation efforts.
- Most artefacts were sent to Rome by Catholic missionaries for a 1925 exhibition, with the Vatican maintaining they were "gifts" to Pope Pius XI, a claim questioned by historians and Indigenous groups.
- This repatriation follows years of advocacy from First Nations, Inuit, and Métis leaders, highlighting wider debates over the restitution of cultural goods taken during colonial periods.