For Isabella Kulak, marking National Ribbon Skirt Day means wearing clothing that represents who you are.
Her decision to do so a little more than two years ago led Parliament to designate Jan. 4 as a day for Canadians to learn more about Indigenous identity and culture.
Kulak, a member of the Cote First Nation, had decided to wear a ribbon skirt, a brightly patterned and typically handmade piece of clothing adorned with ribbons, for a formal day at her school in rural Saskatchewan.
Indigenous women wear ribbon skirts as a show of pride and for cultural events — but Kulak’s family said a staff member at her school remarked that the garment wasn’t considered formal enough.
The school division apologized, but Kulak’s story sparked a movement of Indigenous women posting photos of themselves donning their own ribbon skirts, and led to calls for a national day to be created.
Manitoba Sen. Mary Jane McCallum introduced a bill marking Jan. 4 as that day, and it became law late last year after passing both houses of Parliament.
Kulak, now 12, says she plans to mark the occasion on Wednesday with a celebration at her home nation, and she encourages others “to wear something that shows the world who they are.”