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Cultural insensitivity prompts local teen to speak out

May 26, 2017 | 4:33 PM

LETHBRIDGE –  It’s a yearly time of celebration for many graduating students with the anticipation of moving forward in the next step of life and planning celebrations that recognize the achievements of education to this point.

However, as many high school students engage in graduation parties, questions are being raised over what may, or may not, have been learned. The actions of some have pushed sensitive buttons for others.

At issue, is a recent graduation party involving Lethbridge students who threw a “Cowboys and Indians” themed graduation party. The theme is viewed as disrespectful and racist by some aboriginal students and sparked a war of words and opinion on social media.

One student noted, “CULTURE IS NOT A COSTUME AND IT NEVER WILL BE.”

The same student, wrote the following:

“When the theme was suggested people went against it saying it was not right and they wouldn’t attend if [party organizers] had it, and [those opposing the theme] were shut down by saying they didn’t need to attend the party and it’d be better without them anyways. Not everyone participated but some people did and teenagers who definitely weren’t native were dressed in war paint and feathers and also gone to whole extent of walking around in headdresses, some kids were even fake fancy dancing around to traditional music. My culture is beautiful and does not deserve to be treated as a party theme. No self-respecting native would ever show up to a party in traditional clothing so why is it okay for other people who aren’t a part of the culture doing it?”

When LethrbidgeNewsNOW.com contacted Lethbridge School District 51 about the grad party, Communication Officer Garrett Simmons, indicated there are numerous grad parties associated with the students from the various high schools. However, he was emphatic when he stated the District knew nothing about this grad party and it was not sanctioned by the District. His comments were followed by a statement from the District office:

Lethbridge School District No. 51 schools make it an aim to grow learning communities that are culturally sensitive and diverse, with the hope students go into the world and live the lessons learned within the halls of their schools.

Thursday (May 25) afternoon at an assembly, Chinook High School engaged in a conversation about the importance of these lessons. Chinook also encouraged thinking and dialogue about racism in Canadian communities. There was also a reminder given about being safe and behaving appropriately during the graduation season.

The staff and students at Chinook talked about how important it is to be publicly involved in this deep discussion of First Nations racism taking place over social media, news media and the community at large. The school will continue to hold a place in the community that ensures progressive and thoughtful education for all our students. It will also be a place where such lessons are safe to learn.” 

Unfortunately, much of the discussion on social media is of a nature that is unpublishable here.

An aboriginal teen from one local high school, 17-year old Tieja Medicine Crane, says she saw the stories on social media of “students dancing to traditional music – fake dancing – and kids walking around in headdresses.”

She had the courage to speak out.

“I thought it was so disrespectful – these kids who wouldn’t even go to a pow wow or any cultural thing for native people, just get to dress like this for one night and drink in it – it’s spiritual clothing, it’s regalia that means so much to my culture and these kids are just able to put it on and drink it in and have fun for one night, but don’t even know anything about the culture and have no idea what they’re doing and what kind of meaning that has behind it.”

When asked if she thought the situation was isolated or a part of a bigger problem, the young woman said it’s a problem they have dealt with in the past. She explains that because it happens frequently, the public sees it as normal behaviour.

“Just because it’s happened in the past, doesn’t mean it’s O-K to keep happening – just because I’m the first person who has spoken out about it, doesn’t mean that I’m the only person that cares.”

“I was shut down so quickly – people were telling me that I have no right to be offended – people who aren’t even native and don’t get to understand this first hand, are telling me I have no right to be offended and I was just shut down and ridiculed so quickly, it goes to show that no one ever spoke out about it because they’re scared and embarrassed that they’re going to be called-down like that.

“I’ve been walking into my classes and getting ‘looks’ and everyone’s talking about it now and it’s just showing everyone’s true colors, who really believe that this is wrong and people who just refuse to believe that anybody does anything wrong.”

Her message is: “If you’re not native and you don’t have native background and you don’t support the culture, then you don’t get to have a say in what offends my culture and what hurts me and my people – I have to contact all the people I know that are native and indigenous and ask them if they were offended too because what these people were saying really got to me and I thought that maybe I was over-reacting or maybe I was over-sensitive – but when I asked them, they were so hurt and so disrespected by the fact that someone did this, got away with this and are still defending themselves over it.”

When asked if others would be willing to come forward and speak about this, Tieja said a lot of people don’t want to be involved because they don’t want to be ridiculed the way she was.

“But, if no one ever says anything, then nothing can ever be done – if I never said something and brought awareness to the situation, then people would have just moved on and thought it was O-K to do that, and this grad party would probably happen next year, which is what I’m trying to stop. Just because it’s happened in the past, doesn’t mean that it’s O-K to keep doing these things.”

Tieja noted that there always seems to be one grad class that embarks on this type of grad party and she says there are always arguments and debates that you shouldn’t and it divides grad classes.

“This is what we learned in

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