PRINCE GEORGE – It’s far more than just hair for many Indigenous people.
A symbol of health, strength, and community involvement, or mourning, and tougher times, hair is a large part of Indigenous culture.
For Trent Derrick, his hair is short now in a sign of mourning his aunt.
“Almost six months ago my aunt passed away and so I shaved my head,” said Derrick. “She was one of the key matriarchs of where I’m from in Gitanyow.”
A member of the Gitxsan First Nation, Derrick said his aunt unfortunately passed away from COVID-19. For him, she was an influential family member responsible for teaching him almost everything he knows now about being Gitsxan.
It is normal for some First Nations to burn the long hair they cut off in a time of mourning in a way to have a fresh start according to Derrick.
All of this Indigenous culture was stripped from the hundreds of Indigenous children forced to attend residential schools across Canada where it was procedure to shave the hair of the First Nations children.
Stories from First Nations elders across Canada describe hair, and braids as part of their spirit, without them feeling lost.
Derrick hopes to inspire others to reconnect with their First Nations roots.
