Many students at Carleton University are aware of Canada’s history of residential schools and the missing and murdered Indigenous women of today.
Stephen Harper’s apology in 2008 and the Walking With Our Sisters memorial are evidence of how Indigenous issues have been gaining recognition. However, we still have more to learn. More Carleton students should make an effort to learn about the Indigenous culture. One way to do this is by attending events to hear the voices of the community for yourself.
On Sept. 19, a fundraiser concert for Walking With Our Sisters Ottawa was organised by two Indigenous artists, John Lewis and Cody Coyote. The event, which raised $600, not only showed the pain and grief the Indigenous community experienced by the loss of their sisters, but it also raised awareness about an often undiscussed issue—Indigenous cultural appropriation.
During his performance, Coyote addressed this. A recent event by David Guetta to promote his music compilations titled Fuck Me I’m Famous offended him and his culture, he said. Guetta used fake headdresses and images of sexualized Indigenous women at the event, disrespecting Indigenous culture.
Cultural appropriation is the act of taking parts of a culture, such as traditional clothes, symbols or dances, and using them in a way they weren’t intended by that culture.
In Indigenous culture, headdresses are used as a symbol of honour. Each feather was earned by the person wearing it, and signifies deeds they did for the tribe, Coyote explained. It’s disrespectful to use this kind of symbol as a hair accessory.
David Guetta’s event is not widely acknowledged as cultural appropriation. But by attending the concert and listening to Indigenous voices, I felt how offended many were.
The tone, the voice, and the words used by Coyote signified how important this issue was to him. It left an impression on me that I will not easily forget.
Valuable impressions and experiences such as this are why we should make more of an effort to learn about the Indigenous community and the challenges they face.
Carleton University sits on unceded land. This should be a reminder to us of the importance of learning more about Indigenous cultures.
The Indigenous community and the challenges they face are not distant. We occupy their land. This is why we should go to events like Walking With Our Sisters to hear their stories.
