The Vatican’s extensive collection of Indigenous artifacts, amassed during the colonial era, is facing renewed scrutiny and calls for repatriation. The collection, housed within the Vatican, includes thousands of items from various Indigenous cultures, raising questions about their acquisition and rightful ownership.

Among the items are a kajak made of seal skin by the Inuvialuit, Indigenous inhabitants of northwestern Canada, embroidered leather gloves from the Cree tribe living in the U.S. and Canada, and an Indigenous necklace made from teeth. These objects represent a diverse range of cultural practices and traditions.

A Relic of “Cultural Extermination”?

Critics argue that the presence of these items within the Vatican is a relic of what CNN describes as cultural extermination. During the colonial era, the church and its missionaries often acquired property from Indigenous communities under questionable circumstances. The late Pope Francis had pledged to return some of these objects to Native American communities, but that promise remains unfulfilled.

Now, organizations like the Gathering of the First Nations are appealing to the new head of the church, Pope Leon XIV, to dedicate these artifacts. Pope Leon XIV, formerly robert Prevost, held dual citizenship in the United States and peru. He was presented with some Indigenous objects in early May.

The Role of Pius XI

American television networks have explored how these artifacts ended up in the Vatican.They point to Pope Pius XI, whose pontificate lasted from 1922 to 1939.Pius XI promoted missionary activity and, shortly after assuming his position, urged church representatives to collect evidence of their extensive activities.

Send everything that concerns the lives of indigenous people. Send holy things. Send language materials. Send the native inhabitants if you can do it.
Gloria Bell, assistant professor of art history at McGill university in Montreal, Canada

gloria Bell, an assistant professor of art history at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, highlights the broad scope of Pius XI’s request.

“Thousands of things Were Stolen”

Bell estimates that native communities had thousands of things were stolen to satisfy pius XI greed. This occurred during a period when the cultural identity of Indigenous people in Canada was being suppressed. The Canadian government mandated that indigenous children attend boarding schools, frequently enough run by the church, where they were assimilated into white Christian society.

In these schools, children were forbidden to speak their native languages or practice their native cultures. Punishments for such behaviors were severe,sometimes resulting in death. CNN also notes that the Vatican has historically maintained that the Indigenous artifacts were gifts for the Pope, a claim that Bell disputes.