Story by Anne Morsette 

January 4th marks our indigenous sister Nation’s National Ribbon Skirt Day in Canada. Senator Mary Jane McCallum introduced the Bill, titled National Ribbon Skirt Day Act, to the Parliament of Canada Senate in March of 2021. The Bill goes on to highlight and identify the significance of the Ribbon Skirt to Indigenous people; “Indigenous culture, tradition and ceremony…are critical to the vitality and well-being of Canada’s First Peoples”. Senator McCallum represents the province of Manitoba and is also a first nation’s woman of Cree descent. 

The Bill comes a year after an 11-year-old Isabella Kulak from Cote Nation in Saskatchewan was shamed at school for wearing one on a formal dress day in December of 2020. The incident caused an outrage in the girl and her family, which then sparked an activist movement that resulted in Bill S-227’s introduction to Canadian Senate. Thanks to Isabella and her efforts, the Bill was presented by Sen. McCallum and it has passed its second reading and is still making progress in becoming law in Canada. The Bill would recognize and honor indigenous women and girls’ role in Canada’s First Nations. For 11-year-old Isabella, the ribbon skirt “represents strength, resilience, and womanhood”. 

News of the incident circulated throughout social media like wild fire. Soon, the series of events and the Bill had made its way down into the neighboring country of the United States where indigenous people supported the girl’s efforts by sharing and participating in the movement of the first ever National Ribbon Skirt Day. Upon Isabella Kulak’s return to Kamsack School, a march was held to take her to school. Women wearing ribbon skirts and men wearing ribbon shirts joined in to support Isabella and to also raise awareness. She returned to school with the Ribbon Skirt March on January 4th, which is also the same day as the proposed Bill.

Members of MHA Nation showed their support of the bill and helped raise awareness by wearing ribbon skirts and joining the social media movement. Although the bill doesn’t directly affect America, indigenous people internationally were still able to participate to show support. No matter the relation or geographic proximity, indigenous people generally rally together and celebrate one another during moments such as this as it is viewed as a victory in decolonizing indigenous people. Government recognizance such as this gives the nation a better understanding of first nation’s people.