A Canadian art specialist is questioning the Vatican’s official narrative regarding the acquisition of tens of thousands of Indigenous artifacts from various countries, including Canada. In the early 1920s, Pope Pius XI requested Catholic missions worldwide to contribute artifacts, including Indigenous cultural items, for a 1925 Vatican Mission Exposition. Gloria Bell, an art history assistant professor at McGill University, revealed that Catholic missions dispatched around 100,000 artifacts to the Vatican, which now form part of its permanent collection.
Bell’s research, backed by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and Fonds de recherche du Québec, suggests a contested history where Indigenous individuals may have been coerced into creating these items. She highlighted instances of items being seized during the potlatch ban from 1885 to 1951 and missionary involvement in acquiring artifacts, including souvenirs made by residential school students.
Calls for repatriation have emerged, with Duane Smith, chair and CEO of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, advocating for the return of a rare kayak currently housed at the Vatican. Efforts are underway to repatriate the kayak to its community, emphasizing the importance of reconciliation and proactive collaboration between the church, government, and Indigenous groups.
Bell hopes for consultation with Indigenous communities on the ethical display of cultural items, the return of belongings, and the digitization of Vatican records for transparency. She emphasized the need to rectify colonial narratives within the Vatican, which often overlook Indigenous voices and histories. Bell’s forthcoming book, based on her extensive research and experiences, sheds light on the overlooked chapter of Vatican history and missionary actions during the early 20th century.
Despite challenges and emotional investment in the project, Bell aims to raise awareness, inspire further research, and promote accessibility to this lesser-known history for Indigenous communities, artists, and activists.
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