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What is National Ribbon Skirt Day? Here’s what you need to know

Click to play video: 'Local artist creates traditional dress dolls for a cause'
Local artist creates traditional dress dolls for a cause
A local Indigenous artist is creating a new toy with a serious message. Tracey Boucher says her ribbon skirt dolls are a reminder that every child matters. Ciara Yaschuk has her story – Mar 20, 2022

For Isabella Kulak, marking National Ribbon Skirt Day means wearing clothing that represents who you are.

Her decision to do so a little more than two years ago led Parliament to designate Jan. 4 as a day for Canadians to learn more about Indigenous identity and culture.

Kulak, a member of the Cote First Nation, had decided to wear a ribbon skirt, a brightly patterned and typically handmade piece of clothing adorned with ribbons, for a formal day at her school in rural Saskatchewan.

Indigenous women wear ribbon skirts as a show of pride and for cultural events — but Kulak’s family said a staff member at her school remarked that the garment wasn’t considered formal enough.

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The school division apologized, but Kulak’s story sparked a movement of Indigenous women posting photos of themselves donning their own ribbon skirts, and led to calls for a national day to be created.

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Manitoba Sen. Mary Jane McCallum introduced a bill marking Jan. 4 as that day, and it became law late last year after passing both houses of Parliament.

Kulak, now 12, says she plans to mark the occasion on Wednesday with a celebration at her home nation, and she encourages others “to wear something that shows the world who they are.”

Click to play video: 'Indigenous women from Alberta share the strength behind ribbon skirts'
Indigenous women from Alberta share the strength behind ribbon skirts

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