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 donate artifacts, including Indigenous cultural items, for a 1925 Vatican Mission Exposition. Gloria Bell, an assistant professor of art history at McGill University, noted that Catholic missions sent roughly 100,000 artifacts to the Vatican, many of which now form part of the Vatican’s permanent collection.
According to Bell’s research, there is a disputed history of Indigenous individuals being compelled to create these items, suggesting that some cultural belongings may have been taken from communities rather than being gifts to the Pope. Bell highlighted instances where cultural objects were seized during the potlatch ban in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, indicating the appropriation of stolen regalia and cultural items.
Furthermore, Bell found evidence suggesting that artifacts were made by residential school students in the United States for the 1925 Vatican exhibit. There are indications that Indigenous individuals were potentially sent to participate in the exhibit, although concrete proof is lacking. Calls for repatriating Indigenous artifacts from the Vatican have been voiced, with efforts to engage with Indigenous communities, return the belongings, and digitize records for transparency and community access.
The article also discusses the Vatican’s collection of Indigenous artifacts and ongoing efforts to repatriate items such as a rare kayak from the Inuvialuit community. Bell’s research aims to shed light on the historical and ethical implications of displaying cultural items and calls for greater consultation with Indigenous communities. Her upcoming book, based on a decade of research, delves into the Vatican’s colonial history and the exclusion of Indigenous voices in past exhibitions. Bell hopes her work will encourage further exploration and awareness of this lesser-known history among Indigenous communities and researchers.