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AFN Unveils Repatriated Vatican Items at Canadian Museum of History

Provenance research will guide community returns under commitments made by Pope Leo XIV.

Assembly of First Nations Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, centre, holds a Tikinagan baby cradle as sacred items are unveiled following their return from the Vatican collection during an unveiling event at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
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Overview

  • First Nations leaders publicly presented five reclaimed items and opened two additional crates at a ceremony in Gatineau.
  • Unveiled pieces include a birch bark sap collector from Akwesasne, embroidered leather gloves from Athabasca Chipewyan, a wooden bowl and spoon from Manitoulin Island, and a model cradle board from Ontario.
  • The objects form part of 62 artifacts that reached Canada in December 2025 after more than a century in Vatican collections linked to a 1925 exhibition.
  • The AFN will work with the Canadian Museum of History to establish each item’s origins, after which communities will decide private care, public sharing, or a mix of both.
  • Governor-General Mary Simon and Culture Minister Marc Miller attended the ceremony, and AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak plans a private audience with Pope Leo XIV later this year to advance further returns.