Indigenous women, families in Vancouver rally for national Ribbon Skirt Day

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Local Indigenous women and families are wearing ribbon skirts to support a grade 5 student who was shamed by an educational assistant at her Saskatchewan school for wearing a piece of clothing that means a great deal to the Indigenous community.

For her school’s Formal Day last month, Bella Kulak, a young Indigenous student, wore her ribbon skirt but was told her outfit didn’t match, and it wasn’t formal.

But Kat Norris, a community activist with the Indigenous Action Movement, says it may be a relatively modern piece of clothing, but it holds significant meaning.

“It’s become our symbol of just being Indigenous and being First Nations, Aboriginal. And it’s a symbol of pride in our culture. Because we can’t wear cedar or hides dresses anymore, but this is something that we can wear in the modern day,” she explains.

The skirt is worn for cultural events, ceremonies, weddings and even everyday wear. It can also be worn to acknowledge Missing and Murdered Indigenous people and the LGBTQ+ community.

“We want society basically to know that when we are treated less than, we are learning that it’s not about us — but it’s about the person that is trying to treat us in a negative manner, that we’re not going to be accepting that anymore because that is not right.”

A group held a rally Wednesday at Grandview Park in Vancouver in the hopes of making the day an annual one.

“We are working on indoctrinating ourselves and we’re decolonizing our hearts and bringing back our inner strength, that we know is there. And it’s something that we’re fighting for daily.”

 

– With files from Kathryn Tindale