B.C. preschool apologizes over headdress craft for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
An Indigenous mother from B.C.'s Lower Mainland is speaking out after her son’s preschool sent students home with a culturally insensitive craft ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
In a TikTok video posted Thursday, a gobsmacked Samantha Sinclair holds up an orange “headdress” made out of construction paper and feathers.
"This is what all the kids came marching out wearing," Sinclair says while sitting in a car, shortly after arriving at her son’s preschool to pick him up. "This was their craft for Reconciliation Day, a headdress."
Speaking to CTV News, Sinclair said there were several other parents who immediately felt uncomfortable after seeing their children leaving the preschool with their crafts.
"They were like, is this not wildly inappropriate?" Sinclair said. "And I was like, yes, it is."
She described headdresses as one of the most common pieces of Indigenous culture to be appropriated, noting that headdresses are still routinely sold as Halloween costumes.
"It's always something we have issues with," Sinclair said. "Then to normalize it and perpetuate that in a younger generation … we're trying to break those cycles, we're not trying to continue them."
As she explained to her son about headdresses after they got home, "This is not for everybody to wear."
The mother, who is the owner and designer of S & K Collective, told CTV News she wanted to raise awareness, but was not interested in naming the preschool or damaging its reputation. A number of people emailed the school after she posted her TikTok, and Sinclair said the teacher reached out to personally apologize.
Linc Kesler, an associate professor at UBC's Institute of Critical Indigenous Studies, said the incident mirrored one he experienced picking his own daughters up from school in the United States roughly 40 years ago, around the time of American Thanksgiving.
“I pulled the teacher aside for a little chat, and she was very surprised that I had a problem with it,” said Kesler, whose ancestry is Oglala Lakota. "I've been having exactly these kinds of conversations for most of my life.”
Kesler told CTV News he appreciates there was a well-meaning attempt to acknowledge Canada’s residential school history in the craft headdresses made this week – the words “Every Child Matters” were written on each – but said activities like these still miss the mark.
The associate professor suggested that speaking with an Indigenous person beforehand could help teachers avoid accidentally causing offense.
"The impulse to do something is positive," he said. "The failure to engage with Indigenous communities about what that thing should be leaves room for some significant improvement."
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Tahmina Aziz
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
'I killed four people': Trial hears video evidence of Jeremy Skibicki at Winnipeg trial
“I killed four people,” alleged serial killer Jeremy Skibicki told two homicide detectives during a recorded interview played as evidence in his trial Wednesday.
AstraZeneca says it will withdraw COVID-19 vaccine globally as demand dips
AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it had initiated the worldwide withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine due to a 'surplus of available updated vaccines' since the pandemic.
Seafood, eat food: Calgary Stampede releases Midway menu
The Calgary Stampede has released its menu of sweet, salty and spicy treats available on the Midway for the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.