'My skirt that shows the world who I am:' 1st Ribbon Skirt Day celebrated in Calgary

Faith Starlight started making ribbon skirts on her own 16 years ago, but she didn't often wear them outside of ceremonies. 

As the country marks the first-ever National Ribbon Skirt Day, the Cree and Stoney Nakoda woman said things have changed since then. For her, ribbon skirts aren't just for ceremonies anymore. 

"In high school, being one of few Indigenous students in school with a predominantly white population and a small town, you just wanted to fit in," said Starlight, who designs Indigenous clothing with her business Powwow Styles. 

"You didn't want the glares and the questions and anything like that." 

Wednesday was the first official National Ribbon Skirt Day. Last month, the federal government passed a bill to recognize the day across the country. 

The move after a 2020 incident where Isabella Kulak, a then Grade 5 student and a member of the Cote First Nation in Saskatchewan, wore a ribbon skirt to school for a formal day. Isabella said school staff told her the skirt was not considered to be formal wear. 

Ribbon skirts are traditionally worn in ceremonies and during special events by Indigenous women and are representative of the person's identity, diversity and strength.

"Now there's this shift, and there's cultural revitalization, cultural pride and we're feeling less shy and shamed for wearing our cultural items, so now it's become more of an everyday wear," Starlight said. 

"Fancy attire, dressing up like if you have anywhere to dress up to, you know, that's the first thing I look for." 

Starlight said Isabella's story struck a chord with many Indigenous mothers, aunties and grandmothers across the country.

"Everybody just came out and rallied around her because it really struck a nerve because we all felt that. We really felt that." 

"'We said, you're not going to do this, you're not going to get away with this. This is our formal wear and here is why." 

'I bring my whole self'

Deborah Green-Gopher wore her ribbon skirt to her corporate job in oil and gas Wednesday. 

"I bring my whole self to work as a proud Cree woman and so I wear my skirt that shows the world who I am and it encourages conversation and questions about the ribbon skirt."

Green-Gopher said wearing the skirt makes her feel like she's reclaiming who she is in the midst of a "concrete jungle." 

She said having the day be recognized as a national holiday is a step toward reconciliation.