While they might not show up in local costume shops, a shocking number of results still come up when you search “Indigenous Halloween costume” or “American Indian costumes” on online retailers – all feathers, fringes, and headdresses.

It’s appalling. And harmful.

These costumes do not honour Indigenous culture, heritage, or worldview. Not only are they often inaccurate and in poor taste, they reduce the incredible diversity of language, histories, and Peoples across North America to a single stereotype, a caricature.

Wearing a headdress, in particular, is not only disrespectful, but a form of cultural appropriation that ignores the meaning and ceremony behind it.

To understand the harm we must look at our shared history and the many Treaty promises broken. First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples have experienced forced assimilation, including through the residential school system, bans on ceremony and traditional ways of knowing and being, and other colonial policies designed to erase Indigenous identity.

Now Indigenous culture and ceremony, once banned, are being used for entertainment. When non-Indigenous people dress up as “Indigenous” that is a continuation of colonialism.

The Treaty relationship is a model for how, as diverse peoples, we can live respectfully and peacefully together on these lands we now share.

As Treaty peoples, we all share responsibility for establishing and maintaining mutually respectful relationships.

The Office of the Treaty Commissioner asks you to check your choices this Halloween. Don’t choose costumes that are culturally appropriative, extremely disrespectful and that mock the history, belonging and identities of Indigenous peoples. When you see others who do, speak up. It is a chance to talk about respect, empathy, and the importance of learning about cultures.

Respecting Indigenous culture means listening to Indigenous voices, challenging stereotypes, and ensuring that one person’s celebration doesn’t come at the expense of another’s dignity.

For more resources
Watch – My Culture Is NOT A Costume | Teen Vogue

Read - That Indian Princess Costume is Not Honoring Native Culture

Open Letter to the PocaHotties and Indian Warriors this Halloween