Overview
- A flight from Frankfurt carrying the belongings was accompanied by an Inuvialuit delegation and four First Nations youth, with AFN, ITK and the Métis National Council set to welcome the arrival in Montreal.
- The objects were originally gathered by missionaries for a 1923–1925 exhibition under Pope Pius XI and remained in Vatican museums and storage for roughly a century.
- The return followed a church-to-church transfer in November from the Vatican to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, with the Canadian Museum of History to act as temporary caretaker in Gatineau.
- The collection includes 14 Inuit items—among them a rare Inuvialuit kayak—one identified as Métis, and the remainder linked to First Nations, while many specific community origins have yet to be confirmed.
- The Manitoba Métis Federation says it was excluded from the process and will seek details from the Vatican, as Indigenous leaders note thousands of additional items remain abroad and work on a national repatriation strategy continues.