The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, O ct ob er 18 ,2 01 8 | 24 $8,000 CASH CUSTOMER INCENTIVE ON REMAINING 2018 TUNDRA 4X4 MODELS 2018 TUNDRA 4X4 SAVE ∆ 4X4 Platinum Crewmax model shown. 2018 TUNDRA THETOYOT AYOUWAN T. THEOFFER YOU'VEBE EN WAITINGFO R. $8, 000 C SHA ERMSTOUC EVENTICNI O S LEDO4 MXA 4RDNU8 T10G 2NINIAMEN R 4X4 ARUNDT 8120 EAVS ∆ .nwsho odelm xamweCr minutalP X44 ARDNU8 T102 . TNAW UOY ATOYOT EHT N EEB EV'UOY REFFO EHT .ROF GNITIAW ∇Limited time offer available on a new 2018 Tundra 4X4. $8,000 Cash Customer Incentive is available on all new 2018 Tundra 4X4 and valid to retail customers (excluding fleet sales) except customers who lease, finance or purchase from an Ontario Toyota dealership through Toyota Financial Services at a special rate of interest, offered by Toyota as part of a low rate interest program. All advertised lease and finance rates are special rates. Offer will take place at time of delivery, include tax and will apply after taxes have been charged on the full amount of the negotiated price. Vehicles receiving offer must be purchased, registered and delivered from October 2 to October 31, 2018. Offers are valid from October 2 to October 31, 2018, and is subject to change without notice. All rights are reserved. Dealer may lease or sell for less. Dealer order/trade may be required, but may not be available in all circumstances. Please see your participating Ontario Toyota Dealer for full details. Several years ago, I at- tended a Pow Wow in Cale- donia with some friends. Although I grew up in On- tario, my knowledge of in- digenous culture was lim- ited to a housemate in uni- versity who talked about life on a reserve, snippets from school, and televi- sion. None of these were first-hand experiences, so I was looking forward to the event. Once we arrived at the venue, we were fortunate to meet up with a woman adorned in traditional clothing. As she chatted with us, another visitor who was not part of our group walked up and blurted out what she as- sumed was a compliment about the 'costume.' Her response was kind but firm. "First of all, this is not a costume. It's not Halloween. It's called re- galia." Luckily, this informa- tion had been relayed to our group just moments before, and while the visi- tor's face deepened to dark red, I wondered how such an important detail was not common knowledge. I desperately searched my mind to find some re- collection from school, but all I could remember was Halloween. As kids, we grew up be- lieving that indigenous attire was appropriate for costumes. Every year, a popular costume choice included a brightly col- oured, nylon feather headdresses and plastic tomahawks so kids could be 'Indians' for Hallow- een. I remember coveting the faux suede dresses and headbands, thinking how lovely it would be to march in the costume con- test parade dressed as a "squaw." What I don't re- call however, is any of our teachers intervening to correct our mistake. Maybe they too weren't conscious of the cultural blunder, because for cen- turies, we've helped our- selves to copying indige- nous clothing for trivial purposes - and it was just part of our normalcy. It's only in the past de- cade that we've started to take heed of our igno- rance after indigenous leaders began to stand up and speak out. Truthfully, I was curi- ous as to why it was so in- sulting. So I posed the question to an indigenous elder who grew up in the west end of Toronto in the early 1960s. Back in those days, his family didn't openly ac- knowledge their cultural background for fear of ha- rassment and humilia- tion, he admitted. So, while kids were running around the neighbourhood playing 'cowboys and Indians' and simulating tribal sounds, he and his family stayed silent. They were living in a society where it was ac- ceptable to dress up in costumes that portrayed indigenous people as sav- ages, and there was little they could do about it without marginalizing themselves further. I listened shamefully as he explained how many people didn't real- ize that regalia is sacred and much more than just creative dress. In indigenous commu- nities, the traditional at- tire is worn for two rea- sons. During the pow wows, competitions en- courage the creation of traditional regalia to keep the culture alive. Secondly, some pieces can hold a spiritual sig- nificance and worn for rituals such as a healing dance for someone who is ill. Every piece is prized and respected, and among the last preserved traditions of the indige- nous culture. Yet every year at the end of October, some dis- gruntled folks who can't find knock-offs for Hal- loween parties wonder if political correctness has gone too far. Perhaps that's why the term cultural appropria- tion was coined, because in typical North Ameri- can fashion, we need to analyze and define what we're doing wrong, in- stead of just using com- mon sense. Frankly, if someone says, 'this both- ers me and this is why', it's not that difficult to stop. A costume can't be that important. Priya Ramsingh is a communications consul- tant and the author of the fictional novel, Brown Girl in the Room. She can be reached at priya@arkacomm.ca. HOW IMPORTANT IS YOUR COSTUME? OPINION PUT SOME CULTURAL EMPATHY IN YOUR COSTUME CHOICE, WRITES PRIYA RAMSINGH PRIYA RAMSINGH Column Got plans for the weekend? FIND MORE LOCAL EVENTS AT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA