Dozens of people dressed in colorful fabrics and patterns Saturday in honor of the third National Ribbon Skirt Day celebrated across the country.
In Winnipeg, Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people proudly wore their ribbon skirts on center court at CF Polo Park, each woven thread showing their culture and resilience.
“Today was a really powerful day,” said Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, an advocate and one of the event organizers. “It was about healing, about healing, about connecting, about nourishing our spirits, about filling each other with love and kindness.
“Above all, hope; “I hope there will be a change,” he added.
Ribbon Skirt Day honors Isabel Kulak, a member of the Cote First Nation in Saskatchewan. In 2020, when Kulak was in fifth grade, she went to school wearing a ribbon skirt and was told it wasn’t formal enough to meet the dress code. Kulak’s story sparked a global movement and inspired the federal government’s enactment of the National Ribbon Skirt Day Act.
“The ribbon skirt is a powerful symbol for many different things,” Anderson-Pyrz said, adding that it can be seen as a shield of honor and protection.
“As an Indigenous woman, wearing a ribbon skirt is an act of resistance,” said Manitoba Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine. “It’s actually a means to our liberation as Indigenous women, to take up space and wear our ribbon skirts in every space we find ourselves in.”
To commemorate the occasion, community members of all ages participated in a circle dance on center court.
“It’s really important because First Nations people, Anishinaabe people, we never had spaces where we could be ourselves. We had to hide who we are,” said drummer Kyle Copenace. “So it really means a lot to be able to be in a space like this and be proud of who we are.”
Anderson-Pyrz also emphasized the role men and boys play on Ribbon Skirt Day, particularly in elevating the voices of indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people, as well as ending violence gender.
“When we look at our Indigenous men, we ask them to also reclaim their roles as warriors and become protectors of Indigenous women and girls and honor the safe spaces we deserve,” he said.
As for the future of the memorial day, Anderson-Pyrz said she hopes to see it flourish even more.
“What I would really like to see is for the movement to continue, not just today, but every day,” he said. “When we look at Judge Sinclair and what he said, you know, reconciliation is not a spectator sport, it has to be action-oriented.
“There has to be commitment to see change.”
