A teacher in Outrement, QC on Aug. 29. Photo courtesy Facebook, Jennifer Dorner
The chief representing Saskatchewan’s First Nations is reaching out to a Quebec school where teachers misused headdresses.
Indigenous costumes were worn by Grade 3 students on the first day of school at the Ecole Lajoie School in Outrement, QC, with teachers handing out headdresses to be worn.
In a news release, FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron says this highlights the need for cultural sensitivity in educators across Canada.
“In this day and age of reconciliation we hope for a better thought out process in educating students on Indigenous culture,” he’s quoted as saying in the release.
The FSIN has e-mailed a letter to the principal of Ecoloe Lajoie, objecting to the August 29 incident, and it advises the school to receive proper training on cultural protocols and traditions from an Elder.
It also calls for the school introduce culturally relevant training to its staff and teachers. This is in keeping with a statement made by the Chief of the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL), Ghislain Picard.
Picard references the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and asks the Government of Quebec to do more than acknowledge its report, instead making profound “change in the teaching of our realities.”
Recently, Cameron has also been pushing for Saskatchewan to work with FSIN to properly educate on Indigenous history.
The mother, Jennifer Dorner, who expressed outrage at this “poor costume choice” that “perpetuates ignorance and racism” is urging people to contact the school board and school council with their concerns.
In the Aug. 29 Facebook post that soon got national attention, Dorner wrote:
“First day of school. We arrived to a schoolyard bustling with children and their parents trying to locate their teachers to start the year, full of excitement, enthusiasm. Tons of smiles and kids hugging each other after a long summer away. Then I spot a couple of the teachers dressed like this. They are handing out small colourful headdresses for the kids to wear. In our family, we teach our children about cultural respect, we teach them the importance of honouring Indigenous cultures, we teach them about privilege and the history of genocide in our country. My niece did not feel comfortable wearing her headdress and sadly said “I want to rip this up.” I don’t even know what to do at this point. It is extra frustrating to see as I’ve had so many meetings with the school principal and vice principal about the lack of cultural sensitivity following the blackface incident in the Christmas school play. That was a long and painful battle and never felt resolved. I also felt like we could have achieved more if more parents joined the discussion. I welcome ideas, feedback. This feels like a much bigger problem than at École Lajoie. Maybe it’s time to demand cultural sensitivity training in all schools. Enough is enough!”