According to a recent Facebook post, Canada’s Bass Coast Festival has decided to ban Native American headdresses, or war bonnets. They released the following statement:
For various reasons, Bass Coast Festival is banning feathered war bonnets, or anything resembling them, onsite. Our security team will be enforcing this policy.
We understand why people are attracted to war bonnets. They have a magnificent aesthetic. But their spiritual, cultural and aesthetic significance cannot be separated.
Bass Coast Festival takes place on indigenous land and we respect the dignity of aboriginal people. We have consulted with aboriginal people in British Columbia on this issue and we feel our policy aligns with their views and wishes regarding the subject. Their opinion is what matters to us.
The issue of Native American garb at festivals has been raised in the past, but this marks the first public stance from a festival against them. In an interview with MTV News, Bass Coast public director Paul Brooks explained that various bands asked the festival to create this policy. Furthermore, aboriginal groups actually engaged attendees last year, to explain why their headdresses may be viewed as offensive.
In that MTV News article, Simon Moya-Smith, a member of the Oglala Lakota Nation, said the following: “The headdress is reserved for our revered elders who, through their selflessness and leadership, have earned the right to wear one. Wearing one, even an imitation headdress, belittles what our elders have spent a lifetime to earn.”
Considering the array of non-offensive headgear options, fans have overwhelmingly supported Bass Coast’s new policy. One fan commented: “And this is why I love Basscoast! Thank you for having the insight, integrity and cultural sensitivity to bring this to light.”
Bass Coast Festival is held from August 1-4 in Merritt, British Columbia. Tickets are still on sale, via the festival’s official website.