Isabella Kulak, then 10 years old, is shown in this undated handout image in Kamsack, Sask., a town about 270 kilometres east of Regina. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Kulak Family *MANDATORY CREDIT*
OTTAWA – 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.
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.
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.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 3, 2023.
