Dollar store catches flak for sale of sacred object
Seeing dream catchers being hawked among Canada Day souvenirs felt like ‘a slap in the face,’ man says, but Dollarama refused to remove items from shelves
When Jamie McGean recently visited Dollarama, he wasn’t surprised the store was already stocked for Canada’s 150th birthday. But as he walked past the flags, buttons and bobblehead moose, his heart suddenly sank to see rows of dream catchers among the Canada Day trinkets. For McGean, a member of the Kanien’keha First Nation, it was akin to a Catholic seeing communion bread and wine being sold as a juice and cracker snack pack in the food aisle.
“Dream catchers are created in sacred ceremonies,” McGean explained. “They’re a gift given by the creator and those gifts aren’t for personal gain or profit.”
But even more than disrespect of a sacred object, the Dollarama dream catchers are a political affront because of their placement among Canada Day paraphernalia, McGean says.
“It’s bad enough that you’re appropriating the culture and selling the dream catchers, but it’s a slap in the face that they’re part of the 150th celebration items.”
Like many indigenous people in Canada, McGean does not see the country’s birthday as something to celebrate. Instead, it’s a reminder of years of oppression and cultural genocide. His great-grandmother was one of an estimated150,000 First Nation, Inuit and Métis children sent to residential schools. Separated from her family and punished if found speaking her language, she grew up unable to pass on her ancestors’ knowledge to the next generation.
The effects of that continue to this day with McGean feeling that parts of himself are incomplete. He knows his great-grandmother and greatgrandfather (also separated from his family) were born in Kahnawake, Que., but they never made it back to the reserve after residential school.
“The culture, the ceremonies, the traditions, the language — my family has lost it all,” the 26-year-old grassroots activist said.
Dream catchers, made of a hooped willow branch, deer hide, sinew and hawk feathers, were originally an Ojibwa symbol intended to protect sleeping individuals. Good dreams are said to pass through the web to the sleeper while bad dreams are caught in the sinew.
Following his initial visit to Dollarama, McGean went to several more locations of the discount store and found dream catchers at each one, some decorated with the head of a stereotypical Indian chief, others on key chains with a Canadian tag reading “Celebrating 150 years.”
He wrote to the head office to share his concerns.
A Dollarama spokesperson, Lyla Radmanovich, said McGean’s comments were forwarded to the merchandising team. The decision was made to keep them in stores.
“Given that the complaint is isolated and that dream catchers are actually very popular items with customers from coast to coast, we’ll continue to carry them,” Radmanovich said.
McGean’s partner, Liane Zafiropoulos, has started a petition on change.org to have the dream catchers removed from Dollarama. It has attracted just over 225 signatures.
“We all need to re-examine where we are perpetuating cultural appropriation,” writes one supporter, Susannah Jones, of London, Ont. “Please look for ways to purchase items from cultures where they originate.”
Although dream catchers made by indigenous artists are available in Toronto at such places as the Bay of Spirits Gallery, knock-offs are ubiquitous.
“We’ve had a real issue in Canada where indigenous art has been commoditized as part of Canada’s identity,” Nipissing First Nation artist Aylan Couchie recently told the Toronto Star after an exhibition by nonindigenous artist Amanda PL was cancelled over criticism of cultural appropriation.
“You walk into any souvenir shop and you see dream catchers, you see Inuit sculptures; that’s what people bring home to say, ‘I was in Canada.’ ”
Gord Grisenthwaite, a writer and photographer from the Lytton First Nation, isn’t surprised at Dollarama’s response. No stranger to the debate over cultural appropriation — he was one of the contributors to the issue of Write magazine in which the editor’s note sparked a controversy over an “appropriation prize” — Grisenthwaite says change is more likely to come by educating consumers.
“When we’re visiting other countries, we need to be looking for local artists and buying pieces from the artist, not from a tourist store.”
In the meantime, McGean has decided to continue visiting Dollaramas to raise awareness. At each store, he collects all the dream catchers and brings them to the manager, explaining why they’re offensive and hurtful.
“A big part of the reconciliation process is just talking,” McGean said. “There’s no need to point fingers or spread any kind of hate towards anyone. We just need to start the conversations.”
“The culture, the ceremonies, the traditions, the language — my family has lost it all.” JAMIE MCGEAN INDIGENOUS ACTIVIST