It’s a disturbing trend, and now Montreal’s Osheaga Festival is telling fans to leave their First Nations-style headdresses at home.
“First Nations headdresses have a spiritual and cultural meaning in the native communities,” reads an Osheaga Facebook post, “and to respect and honour their people, Osheaga asks fans and artists attending the festival to not use this symbol as a fashion accessory.”
The festival’s website also lists feathered headdresses among the items that will not be allowed at the festival, and makes clear they will be confiscated.
The trend of wearing feathered headdresses has been gathering steam over the last couple of years with music heavyweights like Pharrell Williams offending First Nations groups by wearing a traditional war bonnet in an Elle magazine photo shoot. The move unleashed a Twitter backlash with the hashtag #NotHappy, and Williams later apologized.
Nicki Minaj was also photographed wearing a headdress, but, with its peacock and pheasant feathers, was considered more in the style of a Caribbean carnival headdress.
Superstar aboriginal DJ trio A Tribe Called Red have also asked that fans leave the headdresses at home.
"Non-Natives that come to our shows, we need to talk," read a tweet from the band in 2013. "Please stop wearing headdresses and war paint — it's insulting."
Other festivals have also banned native headgear, including B.C.'s Bass Coast, which last year made international headlines over the move.
Related:
A Tribe Called Red asks fans to ‘stop wearing headdresses and war paint’ to their shows
by Jennifer Van Evra via Electronic RSS
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