Gilbert Whiteduck emphasized the significance of repatriating Indigenous artifacts from the Vatican museum as a crucial step toward reconciliation. However, he stressed the importance of handling these items with utmost respect for their sacred nature.
Whiteduck, the education director for Kitigan Zibi Anishinābeg, highlighted that the process of repatriation should involve ceremonial practices to honor the sacredness of the objects before their return journey.
Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak recently announced discussions with the Vatican Museums to repatriate several First Nations items. The Canadian Catholic Church and the Vatican are reportedly working on an agreement to facilitate the return by the end of the year through the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB).
Despite efforts to repatriate the items, Whiteduck expressed concerns about the lack of official information and transparency regarding the objects that may be returned to Indigenous communities.
The items are expected to be transferred through a “church-to-church” donation process, a method that Cheyenne Lazore, the manager of the Akwesasne Rights & Research Office, disagrees with. Lazore emphasized the need for Indigenous communities to identify and reclaim their specific cultural belongings.
Initially, the items will be returned to the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., where Indigenous representatives will collaborate with experts to determine the appropriate destinations for the artifacts.
Indigenous organizations have long advocated for the return of artifacts taken during the residential school era, with a delegation of Indigenous leaders meeting Pope Francis in 2022 to discuss the repatriation of these items. The leaders reiterated their calls for repatriation following the appointment of Pope Leo XIV as the head of the Catholic Church.
Whiteduck emphasized the historical significance of the objects held by the Vatican and stressed the importance of understanding the true history of Indigenous communities’ relationships with the Catholic Church and museums from an Indigenous perspective.
Lazore acknowledged that while the return of the items could offer some solace, full reconciliation remains a distant goal, especially considering the unresolved issues related to the residential schools.
Many of the Indigenous items currently housed at the Vatican were donated in the early 1920s following a request from Pope Pius XI for Catholic missions worldwide to contribute Indigenous belongings. The collection includes around 100,000 artifacts, such as a human face mask from Haida Gwaii, a kayak from the Inuvialuit, and a pair of beaded moccasins.