Behind First Nations headdresses: What you should know | CBC News (2024)

Lenard Monkman · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 26, 2016 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: March 26, 2016

When headdresses make the news, the storyusually revolves aroundnon-indigenous people wearing them— and whether that's appropriate.

RecentlyTsuuT'inaFirst Nation made national headlines, and stirred up debate,when it gave Prime Minister JustinTrudeaua headdress and an "aboriginal name,"Gumistiyi, which translates to "the one that keeps trying."

Some music festivals have banned headdresses, and last year the Winnipeg Jets hockey club decided to bar fans from wearingheaddresses at home games after a Chicago Blackhawks fan showed up sporting one.

• JustinTrudeauhonoured byTsuut'inaFirst Nation as 'the one that keeps trying'
• Edmonton Folk Music Festival also bans headdresses, Calgary does not
• Chicago Blackhawks fan wearing headdress shocks hockey fans

So what is the significance of the headdress and who should be allowed to wear one? CBC Aboriginal reached out to First Nations leaders in Canada to find out how they received their headdresses and what it means to wear one.

Headdresses are gifts

The headdress is not something that leaders pay for.Leaders receive them as gifts and gothrough ceremoniesand protocols when receiving one.

Derek Nepinak, Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, is Anishinaabe from Minegoziibe Anishinabe (Pine Creek) First Nation.

He has receivedtwoheaddresses in his lifetime. The first one was givento him while he was chief of his home community. That headdress belongs to the community.

"You don't ask for a headdress, I never asked for a headdress. Just because you become a chief under a popular election, doesn't mean that you're granted the authority," saysNepinak.

The second headdress is the one that you see Nepinakwearing these days. It is a Dakota or Plainsstyle headdress—he was given permission to wear it from the Dakota—which was given to him byhis sundance family.

"It is tied to my ceremonies, and the fasting that I've done over the years on the land, and that's where the eagle feathers come from."

Many styles of headdresses

Rufus Copage has been chief of Sipekne'katik First Nation since 2012. He was givena traditional Miq'maq headdress by his community. Hesays the headdress "represents who I am."It includes sixfeathers on each side,and a mink in the middle.

Tied to responsibility

Chief Isadore Day Wiindawtegowinini has received fourheaddresses.

"You can't put them behind a glass. They'renot there to be showpieces or anything like that. These are very, very important, and they go along with the work that we do," says Day.

Before being electedthe Ontario regional chief, Day was the chief of his community, Serpent River.

"When you're given a headdress, there's a responsibility that comes with that, and often those responsibilities are a direct tie and connection to who you are, your identity, your place within the context of nationhood."

Day has one headdress that he refersto as his treaty advocacyheaddress. He is a descendant of Shingwauk, and Wiindawtegowinini,who were signatories of the Robinson-Huron Treaties, and he takes the role of being a treaty advocate seriously.

The headdress hewears right now has floral designs, a wampum belt, and golden eagle feathers. Day says, "It doesn't belong to me. It represents all of the people in the community."

Traditions are changing

There is a lot of discussionin indigenous communities across Canada about who should be given a headdress.

Traditionally there was variation from nation to nation about who wore headdresses.But for many years the Indian Act dictated that only men were allowed to be chiefs, influencing the tradition. Now it is rare to see a First Nations woman wearing a headdress.

Sylvia McAdam,one of the co-founders of the Idle No More movement, says, "Men are ready to give a headdress to a white man (Trudeau) but cause an uproar when indigenous women are gifted one."

Nepinak says, "At some point, indigenous people need to sit down and have a discussion about the headdress, and have that discussion openly, under the light of day, amongst all of our people, and have a good discussion about where does the headdress come from, why and who wears it.

"It's definitely a grey area, it's not a black-and-white discussion," says Nepinak.

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