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Time of India
4 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Vatican hiding sacred treasures, countries demand return of indigenous artifacts
The Vatican's Anima Mundi Ethnological Museum , nestled in the heart of Vatican City , is home to thousands of Indigenous artifacts from every corner of the globe. Originally collected for a 1925 Vatican exhibition showcasing the reach of Catholic missions, these items now sit at the center of a growing international debate: Should these sacred and culturally vital objects be returned to their communities of origin? As calls for repatriation grow louder, here's a closer look at which countries are demanding the return of their heritage, what artifacts are involved, and where the Vatican stands. Canada: A call for healing and justice Canadian Indigenous leaders are among the most vocal, seeking the return of sacred items such as a rare Inuvialuit sealskin, Cree leather gloves, a two-century-old wampum belt, a Gwich'in baby belt, a beluga tooth necklace, sacred pipes, medicine bundles, ceremonial attire, and an Inuit kayak. These artifacts were taken during a period marked by forced assimilation and residential schools. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Top 25 Most Beautiful Women In The World Car Novels Undo Chief Bobby Cameron of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations emphasized, 'Every one of these artifacts is a sacred item, essential for the healing journey of numerous survivors of residential schools'. Floyd Favel, curator at the Chief Poundmaker Museum, added, 'They embody our history and culture. They strengthen our connection to the past, which is increasingly vital as our languages and cultures face significant threats'. Victoria Pruden, president of the Métis National Council, reflected on viewing the artifacts: 'You couldn't help but feel that tug in your heart that those items should be back home. And they should be somewhere where our children and our grandchildren and our communities could enjoy them and contemplate them'. Live Events Despite Pope Francis 's 2022 apology and pledge to return the artifacts, none have yet been repatriated. 'There's a lot of rhetoric around truth and reconciliation, a lot of sort of performativity around it, but there hasn't been any restitution to date,' said Indigenous advocate Bell. Ecuador: A rare success story Ecuador is among the few countries to have seen a successful return: the Vatican repatriated a shrunken head used in Jivaroan rituals back to Ecuador in 2021. This act is frequently cited as a hopeful precedent by other nations seeking the return of their own heritage. Australia: Seeking recognition and respect The Vatican's collection includes feathered headdresses, masks, and ceremonial objects from Aboriginal Australian communities. Aboriginal leaders argue these items remain stripped of context and meaning, and their calls for return persist. The Vatican claims these were gifts, but many Indigenous advocates and historians dispute whether genuine consent was possible under colonial power dynamics. The Vatican's position: gifts or appropriation? The Vatican maintains that most items were received as gifts, but Pope Francis has acknowledged the need for restitution. 'The Seventh Commandment comes to mind: If you steal something you have to give it back,' he said, signaling openness to returning artifacts on a case-by-case basis. On the broader issue, Pope Francis stated, 'The restitution of the Indigenous things is underway with Canada — at least we agreed to do it… In the case where you can return things, where it's necessary to make a gesture, better to do it. It's good for everyone, so you don't get used to putting your hands in someone else's pockets'. As the international spotlight grows, the Vatican faces mounting pressure to address these claims transparently and justly. For many Indigenous communities, the return of these artifacts is not just about reclaiming objects, but about restoring identity, dignity, and cultural continuity. As Victoria Pruden put it, 'What an important symbol of reconciliation returning them will be when we manage to accomplish that".
CNN
4 days ago
- General
- CNN
The Vatican has held sacred belongings for a century. Now their Indigenous owners want them back
Inside Vatican City, the home of Pope Leo, lies a vast collection of Indigenous artifacts that some people say shouldn't be there. The collection includes thousands dozens of colonial-era objects, including a rare Inuvialuit sealskin kayak from the western Arctic, a pair of embroidered Cree leather gloves, a 200-year-old wampum belt, a baby belt from the Gwich'in people and a beluga tooth necklace. They are relics of a time of cultural destruction, critics say, taken by the Roman Catholic Church a century ago as trophies of missionaries in far-off lands. Pope Francis promised to return the artifacts to communities in Canada as part of what he called a 'penitential pilgrimage' for abuses against Indigenous people by the Church. But several years on, they remain in the Vatican's museums and storage vaults. Indigenous leaders are now urging Pope Leo to finish what Francis started and give the artifacts back. 'When things were taken that weren't somebody else's to take, it's time to return them,' said Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. Calls to repatriate the artifacts began gaining steam in 2022, when a group of First Nations, Inuit and Métis delegates visited Rome for long-awaited talks with Pope Francis about historical abuses at Canada's church-run residential schools. While there, the delegates were given a tour of some of the Vatican's collection and were astonished to see treasured relics stored thousands of miles away from the communities who once used them. 'It was quite an emotional experience to see all of these artifacts – whether they be Métis, First Nations of Inuit artifacts – so far away,' said Victoria Pruden, President of the Métis National Council, which represents the Métis Indigenous people of northwestern Canada. Following that visit – and Francis's subsequent trip to Canada, where he apologized for the Church's role in residential schools – the late pontiff pledged to return the relics. Leo, who held his inaugural mass on May 18, has not yet commented publicly on the issue. Vatican Museums did not respond to questions from CNN about whether it plans to repatriate the artifacts. How the artifacts came to be in the pope's possession requires a trip back to the era of Pope Pius XI, who led the Catholic Church from 1922. Pius was known for promoting the work of missionaries, and in 1923 sent a call out to orders worldwide to gather evidence of the church's vast reach. 'He said: Send in everything related to Indigenous life. Send in sacred belongings. Send in language materials. Send in Indigenous people, if you can manage it,' said Gloria Bell, an assistant professor of art history at McGill University. 'There were thousands of belongings stolen from Indigenous communities to please the greed of Pope Pius XI,' said Bell, who documented the exhibition in her book 'Eternal Sovereigns: Indigenous Artists, Activists, and Travelers Reframing Rome.' The church's collection of Indigenous artifacts was compiled at a time when the cultural identity of Canada's Indigenous people was being erased. The Canadian government had made it compulsory for Indigenous children to attend residential schools – boarding schools largely run by the Catholic Church designed by law to 'kill the Indian in the child' and assimilate them into White Christian society. In these schools, Indigenous children were not allowed to speak their language or practice their culture and were harshly punished for doing so. Thousands of children died from abuse or neglect, with mass graves still being found decades after the last residential school closed in 1998. Even as this injustice unfolded, their cultural belongings and artifacts were being displayed in the 1925 Vatican Mission Exposition, a 13-month long exhibit promoting the Church's influence around the world, which drew millions of visitors. The Vatican has claimed the artifacts were gifts to the Pope. But Bell says that's a 'false narrative' which doesn't consider the context in which the objects were acquired. 'This acquisition period was a really assimilative period in Canadian colonial history,' Bell said. The artifacts were never returned. A century later, many of the cultural objects and artwork remain at the Vatican, either in storage or on display at the Vatican's Anima Mundi Ethnological Museum. While it's not known exactly how many Indigenous artifacts are in the Vatican's collection, the number is in 'the thousands,' Bell said. Indigenous leaders told CNN they don't have a full inventory of what sacred items are housed there. Laurie McDonald, an elder from Enoch Cree Nation who grew up on an Indigenous reserve in Maskêkosihk, Alberta in the 1950s and 1960s, knows what it's like to have your culture taken from you. 'We were forbidden as a nation to use our cultural regalia, our cultural tools, or our medicines, and if we were caught, we were reported to the Indian agent,' said McDonald, referring to the Canadian government official responsible for assimilation policy. McDonald was just 11 years old when he was forcibly taken from the home he shared with his grandmother and sent to Ermineskin Indian Residential School, one of Canada's largest residential schools. Two weeks in, he tried to escape, but became caught on a barbed wire fence and a staff member ripped him off, leaving scars. In 2022, McDonald returned to the site of his former school to witness Pope Francis's historic apology on behalf of the Catholic Church. 'I am deeply sorry,' Francis said, looking out over the land of four First Nations. 'I humbly beg forgiveness for the evil committed by so many Christians against the Indigenous Peoples.' Pope Francis's apology on behalf of the Catholic Church was deeply meaningful for many Indigenous peoples in Canada. But reconciliation is a long process, and Indigenous leaders say they hope Leo will continue what Francis started – first and foremost, by returning the artifacts. McDonald said the objects represent stories and legacies which should have been passed down generations. 'Those may have been simple stuff to you, but to us, they were very, very important,' he said. During his visit to Canada in 2022, Francis said local Catholic communities were committed to promoting Indigenous culture, customs, language and education processes 'in the spirit of' The United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, according to CBC. Article 12 of UNDRIP says Indigenous peoples have the right to use and control their ceremonial objects, and states shall endeavor to return them. Asked again in 2023 about repatriating the Indigenous artifacts, Francis told reporters aboard his plane, 'This is going on, with Canada, at least we were in agreement to do so.' He invoked the seventh commandment – 'thou shall not steal' – in expressing his support for restitution. In recent years, museums around the world have increasingly returned items in their collections that were stolen or potentially acquired unethically to their countries of origin. Last year, new regulations came into effect in the US requiring museums and federal agencies to consult or obtain informed consent from descendants, tribes or Native Hawaiian Organizations before displaying human remains or cultural items. In 2022, Pope Francis returned three fragments of the Parthenon sculptures to Greece in a move he described as a 'gesture of friendship,' according to the BBC. However, a 2024 investigation by Canadian newspaper the Globe and Mail found that the Vatican had not returned a single Indigenous-made item to Canada in recent years, except for a 200-year-old wampum belt which was loaned to a museum in Montreal for just 51 days in 2023. Pruden, of the Métis National Council, said Francis 'really moved things forward by embracing (UNDRIP).' She and other Indigenous leaders hope to soon see the artifacts returned. 'What a beautiful homecoming it would be to welcome these gifts that were made by our grandmothers and our grandfathers,' Pruden said, calling the objects 'very important historical pieces that have a story to tell.' Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney discussed the return of the artifacts in a meeting with Canadian Catholic Cardinals in Rome this month ahead of Leo's first mass, Jaime Battiste, a member of parliament who was also at the meeting, told the Canadian Press. Woodhouse Nepinak said it's 'an uncomfortable and tough issue, but it has to be done.' 'You want to right the wrongs of the past. That's what we want to do for our survivors, for their families, for the history of what happened here and to make sure that the story never dies out.'
Winnipeg Free Press
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
First solo show in Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq's flagship Qilak gallery
Since his last gallery show in Winnipeg, Abraham Anghik Ruben's focus has shifted from introspection to cross-cultural exploration. That personal and artistic arc is currently on display at WAG-Qaumajuq in a sprawling retrospective of the master Inuit sculptor's 50-year career. It's a fitting full-circle reunion. The Winnipeg Art Gallery hosted Ruben's first solo show at a major institution in 2001 and now, nearly 25 years later, the artist's work is featured in the first solo exhibit in Qaumajuq's main Qilak gallery. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Inuit artist Abraham Anghik Ruben, talking about his work in the new retrospective show at WAG-Qaumajuq. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Inuit artist Abraham Anghik Ruben, talking about his work in the new retrospective show at WAG-Qaumajuq. 'It's marvellous. This is a grand hall; I think this is going to be an incredible showcase for years to come,' Ruben says while standing in the vast Inuit art centre, which opened in 2021. He's surrounded by a flock of mythical Inuit figures and Norse gods etched in soapstone and bone, bronze and wood. The luminous, lifelike sculptures make up the bulk of an exhibit containing more than 100 pieces that tell an abridged version of the artist's fascinating life. A soft-spoken storyteller, Ruben, 73, was born in a camp near Paulatuk, N.W.T, and spent his early years with family, living off the land and migrating with the seasons. Abraham Anghik Ruben WAG-Qaumajuq, 300 Memorial Blvd. To spring 2026 Admission free to $18 As children, he and his siblings were taken from their parents, Billy and Bertha Ruben, and made to attend residential school — a traumatic experience that later led him to artmaking. Ruben returned north to study art at the University of Alaska and began sculpting in 1975 as a way to reclaim his Inuvialuit culture. Today, he's a member of the Order of Canada and a world-renowned contemporary artist whose work has been exhibited at the Louvre and Smithsonian. 'I also do prospecting as much as I do sculpting,' says the resident of Salt Spring Island, adding he has mining claims for outcroppings of jade and rare metals in British Columbia's interior. 'The artwork has helped me continue prospecting. Now we're now getting to the point where prospecting can take the artwork to a different level.' Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Abraham Anghik Ruben's 2001 sculpture Things We Share. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Abraham Anghik Ruben's 2001 sculpture Things We Share. Looking at the complex, large-scale work he's created thus far, it's hard to fathom what the next level might entail. Ruben's first show at the WAG, curated by Darlene Coward Wight, was largely autobiographical, with paintings, prints and smaller sculptures depicting personal and ancestral history. The Abraham Anghik Ruben exhibit starts in a similar place and highlights the mystical seafaring journey his art practice has taken since 2004, when a cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment — which he refers to as 'getting nuked' — inspired him to investigate the overlap between Inuit and Viking history. 'There's very little written about it. I realized the Inuit and the Viking people must have had extensive contact, so I started developing works that were based on this,' Ruben says. 'It's my interpretation of what may have happened: contact between two very different Arctic people, but there are a lot of common elements.' As examples, he points to the similarities in spiritual beliefs, legendary storytelling and shamanistic traditions of both groups. There are documented interactions on Greenland during the 13th century, but Ruben believes the relationship runs deeper than described in the written record. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Abraham Anghik Ruben's 1975 artwork, Angatko Manifest of Inuit Soul. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Abraham Anghik Ruben's 1975 artwork, Angatko Manifest of Inuit Soul. Sculptures of the Inuit sea goddess Senda mingle with imagery of the Norse sea goddess Rán — both feared and revered female archetypes. Odin and Loki appear beside creatures from Inuit creation stories. Umiak vessels traverse the high seas alongside Viking longships. A carved wooden pillar entitled The Beginning — the working model for a future bronze sculpture — is one of the newest pieces in the gallery and contains nearly all the elements above in a tall, twisting vignette. Ruben calls this body of work 'the consequences of contact'; it also features commentary on colonization and modern day climate change. Guest curator Heather Campbell, an Inuit artist from Nunatsiavut (Northern Labrador), got goosebumps when she saw the finished exhibition for the first time after working on it virtually for the last year. 'It can't prepare you for seeing it in person. They're all facing you, welcoming you,' she says of the crowd of human and animal sentinels greeting visitors at the entrance of the Qilak gallery. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Abraham Anghik Ruben's Global Warming: The Apocalypse (from the last century after first contact). Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Abraham Anghik Ruben's Global Warming: The Apocalypse (from the last century after first contact). The pieces for the show were sourced from private, public and corporate collections, as well as from 30 Ruben originals in the WAG's permanent collection, which includes the soft limestone sculpture of a mother bear and her cubs, titled Time to Play, that sits in front of Qaumajuq. Campbell hopes gallery-goers appreciate the boundary-pushing qualities of Ruben's work. 'Inuit art is very diverse and Abraham is one of those key examples of what's possible. He strikes the perfect balance between abstract and realism,' she says. Stephen Borys, the WAG's director and CEO, agrees. 'One of the things I really appreciate and respect about Abraham and his art, is his curiosity and the way he's never been afraid to experiment, to try new mediums, to try new techniques,' he says. Visitors will be able to hear Ruben's storytelling first-hand via audio recordings throughout the gallery. 'He's able to bridge that gap between telling a story with an artwork and telling it in his own voice,' Campbell says. 'Most of the pieces are intriguing on their own, but once you read about them and learn about them, it truly enhances what's there.' Abraham Anghik Ruben opens tonight with a free public celebration from 7 to 10 p.m. in the gallery's main hall. Eva WasneyReporter Eva Wasney has been a reporter with the Free Press Arts & Life department since 2019. Read more about Eva. Every piece of reporting Eva produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Hamilton Spectator
21-05-2025
- Science
- Hamilton Spectator
Gwich'in hunting project nets Arctic Inspiration Prize
A Gwich'in youth project to document how the Peel Watershed is changing from climate change and a youth dog sledding club have been awarded $100,000 through the Arctic Inspiration Prize. Wisdom From the Watershed aims to connect Gwich'in youth to hunters and Elders as they document how wildlife and flora have changed over the past decades. 'It's very emotional,' said Eileen Kay as she accepted the award. 'I'm really happy and excited. Wisdom from the Watershed was created from the growing interest of our youth, a project on our traditional homelands in a place that we, the Tetlit Gwich'in, have existed for generations. 'Our project will provide an opportunity and environment for our younger generation to return to these places and connect with their culture. To learn how to traverse the land and the water, develop the skills necessary for survival and continue to pass on our stories.' Kay added the effects seen so far include changing landscape and migratory patterns of animals. A group of 20 hunters will take seven youth from Chief Julius School in Teetl'it Zheh — also known as Fort McPherson — through the watershed as they introduce them to Elders living on the land. The Elders will then tell the delegation of the changes they've seen over their lifetimes. 'It is our hope that those who participate in our ongoing fall camp will gain the knowledge and skills of our people and carry forward these as they become our future leaders,' said Kay, who thanked Margaret Gordon for nominating the project for the prize. All of this will be filmed and produced into a short documentary at the end. The aim is to ' broaden the discussion about climate change in Canada's North' and the team behind the project consists of Brandon Firth (Team Leader), Aiden Kunnizzi, Edwin Kay, Rylan Firth, Lucas Francis, Darius Keevik, Jordan Stewart, Dakota Koe, Phillip Kay, Alice Vittrekwa, George Vittrekwa, Eileen Kay and Tony Devlin. Also earning a $100,000 youth prize was the Uniaraqtuq Youth Dog sledding club. The club teaches youth both Gwich'in and Inuvialuit learning while on the land through the traditional way of transport. The funding will go to film a documentary on the club to showcase the rich history of both the Gwich'in and Inuvialuit peoples. 'Our goal is to increase Northern sovereignty,' said Brooke-Lyn Jade . 'We will guide our nation using language, hunting, trapping and dog sledding to build a future where youth can embrace traditions and build a strong relationship to culture. 'We have been taught fragments of our culture through stories and textbooks. However, nothing will compare to the knowledge youth gain from being on the land.' Over $3.7 million was given out to 12 teams on May 13 during the Arctic Inspiration Prize ceremony in Ottawa. The ceremony featured performances by Kathy Snowball of Nunavik performing L'amour, Deantha Edmunds and emerging Nunavut singer Princess Autut performing an operatic version of Nuliajuk, the Inuit guardian of sea animals and a visual circus and musical performance telling the story of a Dene Hunter witnessing an animal transformation.
CBC
25-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Negotiators want next N.W.T. MP to advance land claims
Social Sharing Dehcho Grand Chief Herb Norwegian says the N.W.T.'s future MP will need to "roll up their sleeves" with federal negotiators to bring unresolved land claims over the finish line. Their biggest challenge? Sparse and "slow" negotiations where time is spent reviewing minutes instead of advancing issues needing "immediate attention" like governance and resources, said Norwegian. Dehcho's claim process has been ongoing for over 20 years and he says in one year they only negotiated for just 21 days. "We're just being dragged down the damn road," he said, describing prolonged negotiations as an "ongoing trauma." "After all, it's our land," he said. The N.W.T. has three unresolved land claims affecting the Dehcho First Nations, Akaitcho Dene and the North Slave Métis. Akaitcho Dene First Nations includes Yellowknives Dene, Łutsel K'e Dene and Deninu Kųę́ First Nations, who reached a draft agreement in 2023. Abiding by UNDRIP Twenty-two years into negotiations, Yellowknives Dene Ndilǫ Chief Fred Sangris said Akaitcho communities are "wordsmithing" with Ottawa lawyers under the Liberal government to clarify their rights. "Under [UNDRIP] there is no need for any Indigenous group in the world to extinguish all their rights," he said. "We don't want to have an agreement like other First Nations across Northwest Territories that have extinguished. Once you extinguish, you can't go back to the table and ask for anything else." Federally, the Liberal, Green Party, and the New Democratic Party platforms support implementing UNDRIP. On Tuesday Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre sidestepped questions on whether they would fully implement the law but the party's platform is to "get projects built again by repealing the Liberal anti-development laws." Clarifying power of claims Projects like the Mackenzie Valley Highway, which would pass through Dehcho communities, could change the face of the region and increase access to their lands. Liberal Candidate Rebecca Alty said that she would support bringing in technical experts to advance efforts to establish the Mackenzie Valley Highway, Slave Geological all-season road to the Nunavut border, and the Gray's Bay port and road project. She said she would push for more days spent negotiating, and allocate more staff to negotiating settlement and build capacity to devolve responsibilities under Indigenous self-government, as with the Inuvialuit on child and family services. The Liberal government was working on passing legislation to use a commissioner of modern treaty implementation to interpret agreements through the commission rather than going to court. The NDP's Kelvin Kotchilea said unsettled claims mean First Nations lack "meaningful" equity shares in major diamond, mineral and oil and gas development and that Indigenous governments told him the next MP should be a "partner in lobbying" to advance claims. Unresolved claims in the Dehcho and Akaitcho regions and the North Slave Metis Alliance, pose a "big question mark" over resource exploration, land protection, resource royalties, cultural activities and , said Kotchilea. He called some Impact Benefit Agreements a "joke" because millions of dollars could have "fixed the housing shortage in [the Tlicho] region if these mines were serious about partnership rather than tokenism and taking advantage of us." Kotchilea said the NDP will advance the Mackenzie Valley Highway by meeting with impacted communities Wrigley, Tulita, Deline, Fort Good Hope and Norman Wells. Green Party Candidate Rainbow Eyes said "Canada has a history of going about it in a colonial way, not getting the perspectives and views of the people" and that "open dialogue will move claims ahead." The Green Party supports Indigenous title affirmation according to the Supreme Court ruling with Tsilhqot'in Nation, and the Haida Title agreement. It promises land restitution and identifying federal and Crown lands suitable for transfer to Indigenous ownership. The Greens would replace First Ministers' meeting with Indigenous, federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments forming a Council of Canadian Governments. Conservative Candidate Kimberly Fairman said her party will focus on "shovel ready" projects in the territory and pursue the Gray's Bay Port and road project. In CBC's election forum with the N.W.T.'s four candidates, Fairman said settling claims would give certainty on development and that the resource sector is one of the "key supportive sectors for our whole economy." Fairman said the North is "10 years behind" on exploration, which she says has been "very slow or stagnant" because companies are reluctant to invest if they do not expect financial returns. The party's platform does not mention land claims or negotiations but says it would establish a nation-to-nation consultation process for legislation and projects affecting First Nations. Fairman proposed a First Nations resource charge policy to access money directly from private companies rather than seek funds from territorial and federal governments. Benefiting from development Norwegian expects a "big push to get lands and resources back on the table" in upcoming negotiations. Land claim resolution goes hand-in-hand with self-governance, and would enable Akaitcho communities to advance on issues like housing and economic development, said Sangris. Sangris said housing and homelessness continue to affect communities and most land claims do not have housing under their agreements. "If you don't have a home, you can't get a job, because you don't have an address and that's a problem." Sangris said N.W.T. residents need a leader who can address both U.S. attacks on Canada's economy and "outstanding grievances on the land claim process." Unresolved claims North Slave Métis Alliance (NSMA) President Marc Whitford said they sent the federal government a revised asserted claim last summer and are still waiting to initiate a process, he said. "We have trouble with some of the economic initiatives that we're working on, because we're viewed differently than the [First Nations] that actually do have a claim." In the Dehcho, Norwegian said negotiators are working on issues of governance and residency requirements — they sought 10 year residency for electoral participation rather than the federal government's suggested two. This is to protect against "transient governments" in the event of large resource development projects, he said.
