Old Montreal souvenir shops awash in culturally appropriated handicrafts

Halloween is upon us, and with it the controversial topic of cultural appropriation.

WalmartCanada decided to pull certaincostumes deemed culturally insensitiveoff the racks this year, including one that depicted a "Native Princess."

Still, what some would consider appropriation of Indigenous art and culture is rampant right herein Montreal.

• Halloween stores starting to get the 'appropriation' message
• Indigenous costumes won't be pulled off store shelves, Spirit Halloween says

Radio-Canada's investigative show Corde Sensible explored how Indigenous-themedsouvenirs, most of them made in China, are being sold as "genuine Native Indian craft" in the souvenir shops that dot Place Jacques-Cartier in Old Montreal.

Cultural appropriationdefined

Solen Roth, an anthropologist specializing in cultural appropriation, saidthat cultural exchanges are universal and happen all the time.

Appropriation happens when that exchange is unequal, Rothsaid.

"When one culture, often the dominant one, takes something that does not belong to itfrom another cultureand reuses it without consent and without benefitting the culture that it comes from, it becomes appropriation," Roth explained.

After visiting several souvenir shopswith Corde Sensible host Marie-ve Tremblay, Roth found many stores crammed with Indigenous-themeditems such as chicken-feather headdresses, leather-costumed Native princess dolls and miniature carved, wooden totem poles.

Some of the souvenirs were clearly labelled"Made in China" sticker. Others hadno indication of their provenance at all.

Though some boutiques in the area do indeed sell handicrafts andartwork made by Indigenous people, Tremblay found that a majority of the products that were not came from the same company, called Koshuan.

Many of Koshuan's products are labelled"Made in Canada," as well as "genuine Native Indian craft."

While the products are made in Princeville, Que., Koshuan'sowner, Daniel Rivard, confirmed they are not made by Indigenous people.

"I don't want to start a petty war," Rivard toldCordeSensible, refusing an on-camera interview. "We are in a free country, and people can manufacturewhatever they want."

He said the souvenirs Koshuan makes are clearly labelled, and they are indeed genuine Indigenous handicrafts even if they're not made by Indigenous people.

'Next step to reconciliation'

Nadine St-Louis is the owner of Ashukan Cultural SpaceonPlace Jacques-Cartier, an art space and boutique sells 100 per cent Indigenous-made products.

• 'Reservation Royalty,' 'Indian Princess' Halloween costumes hit Winnipeg shelves

She saidexploiting an object without attaching oneself to its story, and only using it for commercial gain, is an insult.

"It continues oppression and perpetuates the culture's insignificance," she said.

"There's an emotional response when an Indigenous artist picks up an object that says 'made in China,'because it's a concrete example that the culture is still invisible, that they are still oppressed and in themargin of the margin," St-Louissaid.

She thinks it's time for policies that protect Indigenous people from cultural appropriation.

"That's the next step to reconciliation."