Despite federal protections, every May American Indian and Alaska Native graduates are denied their right to wear traditional regalia at their graduation. Regalia is worn as a symbol of honor, achievement, and pride in cultural identity. In contrast, as Halloween approaches, thousands of non-Natives will dress up in costumes that dehumanize and disenfranchise Native peoples without anyone batting an eyelash.
Other offensive costumes harkening to German soldiers and minstrel performers have been pulled, but Indian costumes remain on shelves. At the most basic level, costumes based on cultural appropriation were molded to suit derogatory stereotypes. Beautiful, long buckskin dresses, which hold cultural significance and are worn as powwow regalia, are appropriated and refashioned into pleather “Pocahottie” costumes for non-Native consumers. Cheaply made, multicolored headdresses meant to reflect those found in Plains cultures also show up in Halloween costumes. Yet headdresses are not costumes. In many Native cultures, they are bestowed upon individuals as symbols of honor in recognition of specific acts of bravery or leadership.
Costumes ignore history and cement dehumanization based on misinformation in the minds of average Americans. The accounts of Native students and their families in reports such as the White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education School Environment Listening Sessions from 2015 illustrate how deeply these stereotypes are embedded in everyday life. Examples include telling Native students in a PE class their kickball team would be called the “Redskins” and promising to “scalp the Indians” when playing against a school with a Native mascot.
There is still time this Halloween to reimagine your costume as a ghost, cat, or even a monster. Even if big brands and designers aren’t pulling Indian costumes from the shelves, a decrease in purchases sends a message.
If you really want to honor Native people past and present, after planning your spooky-themed new costume, consider buying select Native-made jewelry or clothing designs, or decor items like the Native student-designed Pendleton blankets from the College Fund. And in May, lend your voice in support of Native students in your community who are celebrating the milestone of graduation, and speak up for their right to wear their regalia proudly as a badge of honor and as it was intended.
