A Wolastoqew artist has made a jingle dress adorned with shreds of the Indian Act to honour the women from her community who fought to preserve their culture.

The regalia is titled Ahtolimiye (she keeps praying.)

“I have the freedom to practise my culture anytime and in any place that I want to,” said Emma Hassencahl-Perley.

“It’s a privilege that I carry every single day and it’s for the people that have come before me that fought for me to be able to do that.”

The Indian Act put restrictions on wearing traditional clothing and on Indigenous cultural and spiritual practices. Though some nations practised their ceremonies in secret, the ban lasted 75 years until the restrictions were lifted in 1951. Full story here.