LAKELAND - National Ribbon Skirt Day was held across the country on Jan. 4. In the Lakeland region, officials in Lac La Biche County invited community members and their own staff to a localized ceremony to recognize the day and to explain the meanings and origins of the colourful and symbolic garments.
The event, which took place at the Lac La Biche County Protective Services building, was put on by the Lac La Biche County Focus Indigenous, a committee created by municipal employees. The intent of the local ceremony was to recognize and create greater awareness towards the significance of the ribbon skirts in current Indigenous culture and its connections to the past. The ceremony began with a traditional smudging ceremony and prayers, followed by speeches and a reception. Many of the women in attendance wore the colourful Indigenous ribbon skirts while men wore ribbon shirts.
Nicholas Bartlett, the chairperson of the Focus Indigenous group, said National Ribbon Skirt Day was started after a young woman named Isabella Kulak was made fun of for wearing one to school for an event.
“The importance of it is that it represents resilience, strength, survival and identity of Indigenous women and girls,” Bartlett told Lakeland This Week.
According to Bartlett, the colours of every skirt are a representation of the builder and designer of that skirt. He explained that every region and territory of the county has a different belief on what individual colours represent. Those beliefs, he says, are based on the teaching that person received when growing up.
“There is no right or wrong answer on what the colours represent, just the belief of the individual on what those colours mean to them,” he said.
National recognition
In 2022, a bill was passed by the Canadian Parliament to recognize Jan. 4 as National Ribbon Skirt Day. The intent is to celebrate the contributions of Indigenous women and girls.
The local Focus Indigenous group is representative of not only the 200 staff members working for the municipality, but also the larger community. Recent statistics indicate that more than 25 per cent of the region’s population self-identifies as being Indigenous. Bartlett says the Focus Indigenous group puts on events that follow important recognized days of the calendar that are representative of the Indigenous culture. These include Truth and Reconciliation Day, Red Dress Day, Orange Shirt Day, Indigenous Veterans Day, and National Ribbon Skirt Day.
These recognized days, he said, are used as opportunities to educate Lac La Biche County staff on their importance, as well as how they are related to Indigenous lifestyle and identify.
“This internal event is a great way to showcase the different styles and unique dress-making skills of some of our local vendors and employees….as well as spread the message of why this is a recognized day and the history behind it,” he stated.
