Tekahné:kake Stacey says it was a situation Indigenous people know too well.
After attending an event to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at the Montreal Children’s Hospital with her mother and nephew, along with her nephew’s friend, the Kanien’kehá:ka woman from Kahnawà:ke and her family became victims of a racist attack on a Montreal Metro.
“As soon as we walked in that train, we heard the mocking of our war cries, so we knew right away there was an issue,” Stacey said.
Stacey’s nephew had taken part in the event at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, where he performed the smoke dance, a traditional dance among the Haudenosaunee people, to honour the children who attended residential school.
Her nephew, who is nine years old, was still wearing his traditional clothing when he entered the Metro. Stacey says a woman sitting nearby noticed and began hurling insults and mocking the boy.
“She was disgusted by the sight of us pretty much. And she let it be known that she was disgusted at seeing a child dressed in his own traditional clothing,” Stacey said.
Stacey recorded the encounter and posted it on Facebook Wednesday afternoon.
The video, which Stacey deleted on Thursday after it received hateful comments, shows the woman performing what Stacey calls mocking war cries and pointing her finger at the camera after picking her nose.
Stacey says her nephew became upset and started crying, at which point her mother confronted the woman.
“She paid no mind to anything we had to say. The only thing that mattered was all the nasty things that came out of her mouth,” Stacey explained.
Stacey said the woman hit her with her bag as she went to leave the train. Stacey’s mother then pushed the woman out of the train and the woman continued insulting them from the platform until the Metro doors closed and the train started moving.
Events across Quebec mark National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Stacey says her nephew has never shied away from wearing traditional clothing in public, but after the attack, he was devastated.
“He’s very proud of who he is. He’s not ashamed to dress the way he wants,” Stacey said. “She took that away from him.”
After deleting the video of the attack on Thursday, Stacey made a post on Facebook thanking people for their kind words and supportive comments following the incident.
She says she is not going to pursue legal action against the woman, adding that as an Indigenous woman, she is used to dealing with racism.
“We’re going to move past it and just keep doing what we’re doing, stay proud of who we are,” Stacey said.
“I think it’s just going to take some healing for that little boy because that’s going to stick with him for the rest of his life.”
