Cherokee Morning Song

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

'Pocahottie' Halloween costume offends aboriginal woman





A Winnipeg woman says some Halloween costumes being sold in the city are offensive and hurtful to her aboriginal culture, including one outfit that she saw recently.
Mary Swain says she was browsing at Halloween Alley on Pembina Highway when she spotted a costume for adult women called "Pocahottie," which depicts the Disney character Pocahontas in a short, low-cut dress.
"I just couldn't believe it," Swain told CBC News.
"It's my culture and we dress up in regalia when we dance at ceremonies and stuff, so I feel like people are disrespecting aboriginal people."
She said she also saw accessories made to look like traditional aboriginal headdresses, as well as items labelled "sexy Indian wigs."
Swain said she immediately complained to the manager.
"I talked to her about it, and I told her my concerns that I didn't think it was appropriate for her to sell these costumes in the store," she said. "That's my culture; it's not a costume."
Another Halloween-themed store, Spirit Halloween on Regent Avenue, carried adult costume outfits with names like "Reservation Royalty," "Indian Warrior" and "Native Spirit."
Some of the outfits included feather headpieces. Many in the aboriginal community have banned the use of headdresses as fashion items, as they are considered sacred to many indigenous cultures.
'Native women trivialized as sexual objects'
Jacqueline Romanow, associate professor in the University of Winnipeg's indigenous studies department, said she, too, has been offended by some Halloween costumes.
"The costumes that are most offensive to me are the ones that show native women as trivialized sexual objects," she said. 
"Given the history in this country, given the context of racism indigenous people experience every day, given the hyper sexualization of these costumes, that's really the problem." she said.
Romanow said for a society dealing with missing and murdered aboriginal women, the offensive costumes are a concern.
"I think that's more than insensitive, I think it's dangerous. It reinforces the marginalization and the victimization of some of the most vulnerable people in our society," she said. 
Store official responds
The regional manager for Halloween Alley, which has 37 locations across Canada, told CBC News he respects all cultures and takes feedback seriously, but there are no plans to remove the costume items in question.
Steven Pierson said what may be considered offensive to one person may not be offensive to another.
"The industry that we work in, you know, does have some challenges with sensitivities on a whole lot of fronts," he said.
Pierson added that many of the costumes in question are sold to aboriginal people.
"The reality is by far … our largest customer base are those customers in the aboriginal community," he said.
"It's not really my place to find what's offensive or not … I'm not an aboriginal person."
CBC News has not been able to reach officials with Spirit Halloween as of Monday night.
As for Swain, she said the official explanation is not good enough for her.

"I don't feel people should be making fun of us," she said.
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Admin note: As Native people I agree that what this company and others is selling is highly offensive to us. 

What is happening here, in our opinion, is another form of racism. 

They are not showing respect for Native heritage nor its people.

"The regional manager for Halloween Alley, which has 37 locations across Canada, told CBC News he respects all cultures and takes feedback seriously, but there are no plans to remove the costume items in question."

I AM ASKING THAT THOSE WHO READ THIS ARTICLE PLUS OTHERS RELATED TO ANYTHING ALONG THESE LINE BOYCOTT  Halloween Alley at 1686 Pembina Highway , Winnipeg, Manitoba PLUS ANY OF THEIR OTHER STORE IN YOUR AREA. 

ALSO, Spirit Halloween on 1570-B Regent Ave W, WINNIPEG, Manitoba WHO IS ALSO SELLING HALLOWEEN COSTUMES WHICH ARE RACIST.

THIS ACT IS DISCRIMINATION AGAINST OUR PEOPLE.

Mass Execution of Children Alleged

Posted on November 09, 2011 by itccs


My brother Rufus saw them take all those children and stand them up next to a big ditch, and then the soldiers shot them all and they all fell into that ditch. Some of the kids were still alive and they just poured the dirt in on top of them. Buried them alive.
Prisoners-of-the-church
This mass murder happened in 1943 – not in Nazi held Europe, but in Brantford, Ontario, on land occupied by the Canadian Army, at its Basic Training Camp Number 20.
These words were spoken today on the Native America Calling Radio program by Lorna McNaughton of Oshweken, Ontario: a survivor of the infamous “Mush Hole”, the Brantford Mohawk Indian residential school, run by the Church and Crown of England until 1970.
Why were these children shot? According to Lorna:
The school was overcrowded just then. I was there, I saw the army bring in all these cots for lots of new kids who showed up from all over the country. They must have just wanted to get rid of all the extra hungry mouths; it was wartime and everything was rationed. One day those new kids were in the dorms, then they were all taken out, and we never saw any of them kids again.
A probable site of this mass burial of the executed children has been located, and is now under the protection and jurisdiction of the Onkwehonwe Mohawk Nation and its clan mothers. Surveys and possible excavations will proceed under professional guidance, and according to the protocols of the Onkwehonwe people.
The Mohawk people call upon all people of good will to help protect the remains of these murdered children until international observers can arrive to monitor events and evidence that is uncovered.
This site is under the jurisdiction of the Onkwehonwe Mohawk people and not the government of Canada or the Crown or Church of England.
The investigation into the Canadian Genocide continues. Stay tuned for regular updates from the Onkwehonwe Mohawk Nation and the ITCCS.
Issued by the ITCCS office, Brussels, and Rawennatshani of the Turtle clan, Onkwehonwe people
November 9, 2011
Mohawk residential school
The Mohawk Institute, 1832-1970 – Church of England (Anglican) operated

Friday, October 24, 2014

Petition for a plaque at the National War Memorial in memory of Corporal Nathan Cirillo."



This is a petition I just signed and decided to post on the site for anyone who would like to sign.
It is to ask for a plaque to be placed in honor of Corporal Nathan Cirillo who was the soldier shot to death by a terrorist on October 22, 2014 in Ottawa.
Please sign in honor of Nathan Cirillo so all will remember him and what he stood for.
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Thanks for signing my petition, "The Honourable Stephen Harper: Place a plaque at the National War Memorial in memory of Corporal Nathan Cirillo."

Can you help this petition win by asking your friends to sign too? It's easy to share with your friends on Facebook - just click here to share the petition on Facebook.

There's also a sample email below that you can forward to your friends.

Thanks again -- together we're making change happen,

David W

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Note to forward to your friends:

Hi!

I just signed the petition "The Honourable Stephen Harper: Place a plaque at the National War Memorial in memory of Corporal Nathan Cirillo" on Change.org.

It's important. Will you sign it too? Here's the link:

http://www.change.org/p/the-honourable-stephen-harper-place-a-plaque-at-the-national-war-memorial-in-memory-of-corporal-nathan-cirillo?recruiter=31480877&utm_campaign=signature_receipt&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition

Thanks!

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