Regina woman upset over aboriginal-themed Halloween costumes - Action News
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Saskatchewan

Regina woman upset over aboriginal-themed Halloween costumes

A Regina woman is expressing dismay after finding numerous aboriginal-themed Halloween costumes on display in a local store.

Cindy Freeman says costumes like 'Huron Honey' are offensive

A Regina woman is expressing dismay after finding numerous aboriginal-themed Halloween costumes on display in a local store.

Cindy Freemansays she was recently in a Spirit Halloween store where she saw costumes with such names as"Noble Warrior," "Huron Honey" and "Queen of theTribe."

She posted photos of the costumesto her Facebook page.

"I feel like these costumes promote an incredibly negative stereotype that is outdated and considered inappropriate," Freeman said on Facebook.

Freeman told CBC News that she was surprised the items were offered for sale.

"I was really surprised," she said. "I thought, 'This has to be a mistake'".

Freeman teaches elementary school and asked her students what they thought of the costumes.

"My students were really offended," she said. "Most of them are First Nations and they were really offended and they wanted to share their thoughts and they had some really interesting things to say."

Freeman quoted one student who said, "Seeing these costumes makes me feel like I'm being made fun of, like I'm nothing."

She said she spoke to a manager at the store but did not get the impression the person would remove the items from the shelves.

Spirit Halloween is headquartered in the U.S. and when CBC News contacted the company they said their lawyer would call. However, there was no immediate response from that person.

With files from CBC's Tory Gillis