Indigenous activist works to make Halloween cultural appropriation free
Posted Oct 21, 2017 5:07 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Indigenous activist Alicia BigCanoe says she loves Halloween, but adds it’s hurtful and concerning that her culture is often depicted as a costume.
She posted a photo of herself in traditional clothing with the hashtag “I am Not a Costume” about three years ago. When the post went viral it sparked the conversation about appropriation on social media.
At first she recevied a lot of backlash and lost many friends over the post.
“I think especially folks from non-indigenous communities and non-racialized communities trying to understand why maybe characters in movies like quote/unquote Pocahontas, they couldn’t understand why dressing up like these folks, who they admired, was harmful,” said BigCanoe.
Indigenous people have been working hard to reinforce their own narratives about their culture and BigCanoe says reducing it to a stereotype is insulting. She adds, the effects have often hit close to home.
“I’ve had my daughter as young as nine at one point asking me why this is happening and that it was embarrassing and she didn’t want to tell people she was indigenous because she didn’t want them to poke fun at her.”
BigCanoe says she hopes people will think about their costume selection this year, and whether it’s fun or offensive.
