Métis leaders unveil 1920s model dog sled repatriated from the Vatican

A 1920s Métis model dog sled repatriated from the Vatican was unveiled in Ottawa and will be temporarily housed at the Canadian Museum of History while experts work to identify its community of origin.

Métis leaders in Ottawa on Wednesday unveiled a model dog sled that was repatriated from the Vatican after more than a century in its collection. The miniature sled dates to the 1920s and is made of leather, wood and glass beads. Officials said it was one of 62 items returned to Indigenous Peoples last year after decades of calls for their return. Métis representatives will keep the sled at the Canadian Museum of History while experts work to identify the community where it was made. Key details: - The sled is a 1920s model constructed from leather, wood and glass beads. - It was one of 62 items repatriated to Indigenous Peoples from the Vatican last year. - Initial research suggests the piece came from a northern Métis artist and may have been donated to the Vatican Missionary Exhibition in the mid-1920s. - The sled will be temporarily housed at the Canadian Museum of History while specialists seek to determine its community of origin. - Métis National Council President Victoria Pruden said the return is a welcome reconnection to kinship and the imprint of the hands that made such objects; Culture Minister Marc Miller and Gov. Gen. Mary Simon attended the ceremony. - The transfers followed long negotiations and an announcement in November that Pope Leo XIV would transfer the items to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, which said it would turn them over to Indigenous communities. Summary: Leaders presented the unveiling as a restoration of cultural connection and a return of traditional knowledge to the people who made the object. The sled will remain at the Canadian Museum of History while experts trace its origins and determine how to proceed regarding its care and identification.