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Metis leaders unveil 1920s model dog sled repatriated from Vatican

  • Alessia Passafiume

  • Canadian Press

  • February 25, 2026

A section of a Metis model dog sled, made in the 1920s, is pictured following its repatriation from the Vatican collection at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

OTTAWA -- Metis leaders today unveiled a model dog sled repatriated to their communities after more than a century in the Vatican collection.

The sled, made in the 1920s of leather, wood and glass beads, was one of 62 items repatriated to Indigenous Peoples from the Vatican last year after decades of calls for their return.

Metis National Council president Victoria Pruden compared the model's return to reuniting with a long-lost grandparent.

Metis officials say they'll be working with experts to determine which community the sled came from.

Culture Minister Marc Miller says the sled symbolizes the return of traditional knowledge and that while it may have lived for years at the Vatican, it has more value to the community where it was made.

Inuit leaders unveiled their own repatriated items in December, including a rare kayak made of driftwood, sealskin and sinew.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 25, 2026.