Indigenous artifacts returned by the Vatican are now at a Canadian museum

Inuit artifacts returned by the Vatican have found a temporary home at the Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa, marking a significant step in the repatriation of Indigenous cultural treasures. First Nations, Inuit and Métis leaders received the collection of 62 items at Montreal’s airport on Saturday, culminating years of advocacy for the return of these historically significant objects.

At a small gathering of Indigenous representatives and media on Tuesday, Inuit leaders showcased several of the returned items, including a traditional kayak that stands as the centerpiece of the collection. The kayak, meticulously crafted from driftwood, sealskin, and sinew, represents not merely an object of cultural significance but a vital tool once used for activities like beluga hunting.

“This kayak was essential to the life of the community,” explained Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami President Natan Obed, though he acknowledged that the circumstances of how it came into the Vatican’s possession remain unclear.

Other displayed artifacts included practical items central to traditional Inuit life: a soup ladle, needle casings, and an ulu knife—a versatile tool with a semi-circular blade historically used by Inuit women for everything from food preparation to skinning animals.

The artifacts will not be immediately placed on public display. Instead, a group of Inuit advisers will undertake the painstaking process of tracing each item to its community of origin. Until then, the collection will remain in a secure, climate-controlled facility at the Canadian Museum of History.

For approximately a century, these artifacts were housed in the Vatican Museums’ ethnographic collection, now known as the Anima Mundi museum. Most items were sent to Rome by Catholic missionaries for a 1925 exhibition in the Vatican gardens, intended to showcase the global reach of the Catholic Church and its missionary work among Indigenous peoples.

While the Vatican has consistently maintained that the items were “gifts” to Pope Pius XI, historians and Indigenous groups have long questioned this narrative. The power dynamics between missionaries and Indigenous communities during that colonial period cast doubt on whether such items could have been freely offered.

The repatriation comes as part of the Catholic Church’s broader reconciliation efforts addressing its historical role in suppressing Indigenous cultures throughout the Americas. Pope Leo XIV transferred the artifacts and accompanying documentation to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, with the understanding that the items would be returned to their rightful communities “as soon as possible.”

During Tuesday’s presentation, Inuit leaders demonstrated how the artifacts were made and used, allowing those present to handle the items—a practice that might unsettle traditional museum curators but represents an important aspect of reconnecting with cultural heritage.

Paul Irngaut, acting president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., explained the cultural significance of the objects as attendees were encouraged to touch them. “I’m sure that there were some people who are curators who might have been quite aghast at us touching the item, lifting it up, handling the paddle,” Obed remarked, emphasizing that this direct interaction with the artifacts is “part of reconciliation.”

The return of these items represents more than a transfer of physical objects; it symbolizes a reclamation of cultural identity and a step toward healing historical wounds. The repatriation occurs amid growing international momentum for museums and institutions to return artifacts acquired during colonial periods to their communities of origin.

For Canada’s Indigenous peoples, who have experienced generations of cultural suppression—including through the residential school system that the Catholic Church helped operate—the return of these artifacts carries profound significance in the ongoing journey of reconciliation and cultural revitalization.