Protest held after Peter Pan production
Members of the Blood Tribe held a unity rally on Saturday to raise awareness over the issue of cultural misappropriation after a photo from a recent production of “Peter Pan” was posted online by the Carriage House Theatre in Cardston.
The event took place Saturday afternoon in the Moccasin Flats Plaza in the community of Moses Lake, and was organized by Communities in Unity, members of The Council of Canadians (Blood Tribe Chapter) and Idle No More Blood Tribe.
“Overall, it was a really good turnout,” said event organizer Lori Brave Rock. “We actually had some community members from Cardston.”
The Carriage House Theatre presented “Peter Pan,” which ran from Feb. 9-18. When a photo was posted showing white actors dressed in stereotypical costumes as members of the indigenous Henny Penny Tribe, members of the Blood Tribe took issue with the image.
Theatre owner Alonna Leavitt issued an apology which was posted on the Blood Tribe website, stating while there was no intention to offend anyone with the production, the organization accepted it had offended people through ignorance.
Leavitt expressed regret there had not been consultations with the Blood Tribe prior to moving forward with the production.
The apology also stated efforts had been made to cast FN actors in those roles, but there had been no response from the BT community.
It was decided that the show would be changed and that the Henny Penny Tribe would be written out of the story.
“Peter Pan” was written just after the turn of the 20th Century, making it more than 110 years old. It has been criticized for decades about its Victorian-esque portrayal of FN people through the Henny Penny Tribe that live in Neverland.
At the time “Peter Pan” was written, there would not have been any consultation as far as portrayal of characters. Brave Rock said there was an opportunity for the Cardston Carriage House to include members of the Blood Tribe in discussions of some of the characters well before the show hit the stage.
She said comments from the community about the issue being simply about an old fairy tale are ignoring the fact FN people are continually dealing with race-related issues in society.
“If we weren’t dealing with this on such a regular basis, I don’t think the message is getting out there,” Brave Rock said. “And because it is a local play, I think it struck a lot closer to home.”
Brave Rock said the rally was intended to bridge connections and break down racial barriers in communities across southern Alberta.
“It’s something we’ve been dealing with on a regular basis,” she said, noting team names, sports mascots and Halloween costumes continue to be an issue.
It is hoped local communities will be able to learn from the issue, especially in light of many negative responses made by members of the public. People may simply be unaware of how serious the issue is to FN people.
“Our clothing was one of the first things stripped away from us in residential schools,” Brave Rock said.
“That identified who we were as a tribe, and who we were as individuals. Some of our garments were ceremonial so there was a high importance placed on them. Just the fact that here, in 2017, we are still dealing with racism on a daily basis. It’s time for things to change.”
Another rally is being planned for Cardston on March 21, which is the International Day for the Elimination of Racism, in an attempt to continue the conversation and to bring people together in unity.
Follow @JWSchnarrHerald on Twitter