Indian Country responds to Pope Francis receiving a headdress during ‘Pilgrimage of Penance

[Paco Dennis]

"Pope Francis was gifted a traditional headdress by Chief Wilton Littlechild after delivering an apology for the role the Catholic Church played in Canada’s residential schools. Pope Francis wore the headdress briefly and did not speak while wearing it. It’s the first public apology by the leader of the Catholic Church.

"I am deeply sorry. Sorry for the ways in which, regrettably, many Christians supported the colonizing mentality of the powers that oppressed the indigenous peoples. I am sorry. I ask forgiveness," he said.

Many took their responses to social media to one of the most significant and iconic Indigenous cultural honors, the gifting of a headdress.

Joe Horse Capture, Vice President of Native Collections of Native American History and Culture at the Autry Museum tweeted, “I have so much to say about this, and all of it negative. I am practicing ‘If you can't say anything positive, don't say anything at all’ mantra. But I'll be honest, it's difficult! #WTF.”

Russ Diabo, Kahnawake Mohawk, Indigenous Policy Analyst, Editor and Publisher of the First Nations Strategic Bulletin said on Twitter, “What we witnessed today was pageantry leading two facile statements by Pope and putting a headdress on him is the Catholic Church and Canada collaborating in creating a mythology for a shared ‘Reconciliation’ agenda narrated by prominent federal collaborators/residential school survivors!”

An unknown Twitter profile named Nicoló said, “get this headdress of the head of The Holy Father.”

Rod Mickleburgh, former China correspondent for Globe and Mail, author of two award-winning books, said of the Pope wearing a headdress, “Cheers and applause from the crowd, as the Pope gets a headdress.”

Kristina Wong, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama, said, “This is a long overdue apology to indigenous people but did the Pope really have to wear the full on the Indian headdress to do this?”

Christian Big Eagle said of the Pope’s visit, “Logging off. As an Indigenous person I'm triggered by all the news about the Pope. I saw someone give him a headdress and it just made so angry. A headdress has to be earned. The Pope is head of an organization that raped and murdered Indigenous children.”"

https://nativenewsonline.net/currents/pope-francis-gifted-headdress-during-pilgrimage-of-penance

I like the gesture and that the Pope received and put on the headdress. It is time for hatred to end if possible.

 

[Jace]

Head-dress=Spectacular!

 

[Jace]

Does anyone know...if the/ those headdresses are made by the presenter"s tribe?

 

[Paco Dennis]

Does anyone know...if the/ those headdresses are made by the presenter"s tribe?

This from another article..."He received the traditional headdress from Chief Wilton Littlechild, a member of the Ermineskin Cree Nation, former commissioner for Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and residential school survivor."

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/pope-francis-apology-headdress

 

[Knight]

Not trying to be funny just wondering if those headdresses were made in China

 

[Remy]

That apology is way too little, way too late. Though I doubt it was only the church. The government and the United States also. What was done to the native people is beyond horrible and sad.

 

[jimintoronto]

Not trying to be funny just wondering if those headdresses were made in China

No. Hand made , and in this case made by members of the Erminskin First Nation which was where the ceremony took place. There are more than 640 First Nations in Canada. JimB.

 

[Jace]

T Y @jimintoronto,....learned something new

 

[FastTrax]

Not trying to be funny just wondering if those headdresses were made in China

Ditto........ I bought some kind of receiver that touted "A proud American product made in Colorado", opened up the battery cover and there was the standard "Made in China" sticker.

 

[FastTrax]

That apology is way too little, way too late. Though I doubt it was only the church. The government and the United States also. What was done to the native people is beyond horrible and sad.

Even though they claim they were the very first in America however the Native Americans have plenty of company in the mistreatment of immigrants Lilly White to Jet Black from both Hemispheres. Anyway I always thought those very public hollow feel good gestures were insulting to say the least.

 

[Don M.]

Human history is full of examples of brutality....going back as far as recorded history. It continues today with Russian attacks on civilian populations in Ukraine. Humans are probably the Most Violent species on the planet, and have little remorse over the carnage they commit as they try to achieve "domination". Apologies might give the perpetrators some peace of mind, but do nothing to reverse the damage.

 

[Pinky]

Too little, too late.

 

[Nathan]

Humans are probably the Most Violent species on the planet, and have little remorse over the carnage they commit as they try to achieve "domination".

Strike out probably and insert "are". One the other hand, cockroaches are humble and mild mannered, all they want to do is eat and make babies. One day cockroaches shall again rule the world!

 

[fuzzybuddy]

There isn't a nation on the planet where one group didn't muscle out another group for 'dominance' over the same hunk of turf. That's why I figured space aliens wouldn't want anything to do with such greedy, back stabbing bastards.

 

[Nathan]

you either have mice or roaches.... there's absolutely no way you can get rid of them.

Same with restaurants, the best hope is to control their numbers...

 

[JustDave]

He looks better in a headdress. He should wear it all the time.