US EditionVatican’s Return of Indigenous Artifacts Applauded, but Is It Really a Gift?
The Vatican returns 62 Indigenous artifacts, seen by some as restitution for items seized during assimilation policies, with plans to house them at the Canadian Museum of History first.
- On Nov. 15, the Vatican announced it will return 62 Indigenous artifacts to Canada, arriving Dec. 6 to be housed at the Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa.
- Historians note that the artifacts were removed in the 1920s amid a coercive period under the Indian Act when cultural practices were actively banned and the potlatch ban targeted Indigenous regalia.
- The collection includes an Inuit kayak, war clubs, a headdress, masks, and wampum belts from the Vatican Missionary Exhibition of 1925, while conservation and transport concerns warn many objects are now fragile.
- The Canadian Museum of History will assess the artifacts before transferring them to Indigenous organizations, and Hugh Braker said, `'The government tried very, very hard to stomp out our culture, our way of life, and our religion and our governance, but it certainly brings joy to my heart.'`
- Critics noted `So, when the Vatican is using this language of giftings, we have to be quite hesitant,` said Groat, while Amy Parent questioned `Why did it take so long?` and called the Vatican's process colonial.
32 Articles
32 Articles
Vatican’s return of Indigenous artifacts applauded, but is it really a gift?
When the Vatican announced this month that Pope Leo was giving a “gift” of 62 Indigenous artifacts to Canadian bishops, to be returned to their original communities, some Indigenous leaders celebrated it as a continuation of a reconciliation journey.
Vatican’s return of Indigenous artifacts applauded, but is it really a gift?
When the Vatican announced this month that Pope Leo was giving a “gift” of 62 Indigenous artifacts to Canadian bishops, to be returned to their original communities, some Indigenous leaders celebrated it as a continuation of a reconciliation journey.
Vatican's return of Indigenous artifacts applauded, but is it really a gift?
When the Vatican announced this month that Pope Leo was giving a "gift" of 62 Indigenous artifacts to Canadian bishops, to be returned to their original communities, some Indigenous leaders celebrated it as a continuation of a reconciliation journey.
Vatican's return of Indigenous artifacts applauded, but is it really a gift?
When the Vatican announced this month that Pope Leo was giving a "gift" of 62 Indigenous artifacts to Canadian bishops, to be returned to their original communities, some Indigenous leaders celebrated it as a continuation of a reconciliation journey.
Vatican's return of Indigenous artifacts applauded, but is it really a gift?
When the Vatican announced this month that Pope Leo was giving a "gift" of 62 Indigenous artifacts to Canadian bishops, to be returned to their original communities, some Indigenous leaders celebrated it as a continuation of a reconciliation journey.
Vatican’s return of Indigenous artifacts applauded, but is it really a gift?
When the Vatican announced this month that Pope Leo was giving a "gift" of 62 Indigenous artifacts to Canadian bishops, to be returned to their original communities, some Indigenous leaders celebrated it as a continuation of a reconciliation journey.
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