Air Canada has had to apologise to an first nations chief after cabin workers attempted to remove her sacred headgear and place it in the cargo hold of a domestic flight last week.
Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, the newly elected National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said she was “stunned” when crew members attempted to steal the sacred item from her on a flight between Montreal and Fredericton, throwing the case in which she was carrying the headdress into the hold.
“I was kind of stunned,” she told CBC News on Friday, explaining that her people view a headdress as “like your child, like your baby.” It is with you. “It is a part of you.”
The leader stated that she had previously traveled without incident, carrying the headgear in a dedicated case alongside her carry-on luggage, but this time the personnel took a different approach.
She told the outlet that the scenario became “pretty heated,” with workers removing the case from her after she requested to keep it under the seat in front of her.
Woodhouse Nepinak then removed the precious artifact from the case and carried it on her lap throughout the journey, but the crew insisted on putting the case in the hold and placing it in “garbage bags”.
Staff did not return the case to her at the end of the flight, and the captain reportedly had to intercede, despite the fact that fellow passengers treated her with great respect.
“There were Canadians from all walks of life sitting in the plane who were astounded, which I was delighted to see, because it wasn’t like people simply sat there and were quiet. “People were genuinely trying to help,” Woodhouse Nepinak said.
“I want to focus on making sure that First Nations can come through our airport and our airlines, all airlines, Air Canada included, in a safe way, in a respectful way.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau criticized Air Canada, calling the situation “unacceptable”.
“From my perspective, that is an unfortunate situation that I hope is going to lead to a bit of learning, not just by Air Canada, but a lot of different institutions,” the prime minister told reporters on Friday.
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs denounced the Air Canada crew’s actions and asked for extensive cultural sensitivity training throughout the airline sector.
“Systemic discrimination reveals itself in situations like this,” AMC Grand Chief Cathy Merrick stated in a statement.
“When our precious goods are treated as if they were mere objects. What happened to National Chief Woodhouse Nepinak is a horrible example of how ignorant Canadians are regarding First Nations’ treasured cultural goods and traditions.
Other tribe chiefs presented Woodhouse Nepinak with the headdress during a “headdress transfer” ceremony in January of this year, which is considered one of the highest accolades within First Nations.
AMC stated that by 2024, with knowledge freely available online, more people should comprehend these customs and beliefs, and Woodhouse Nepinak agreed.
“This can… set the motion in place for, you know, the airlines, Air Canada, WestJet, whomever, to have a, you know, an understanding of our way of life, our beliefs, and have that mutual respect,” she said in an interview with CBC.
On Thursday, Air Canada apologized, saying it will communicate with the leader to better understand the issue.
“Air Canada understands the importance of accommodating customers with items and symbols of sacred cultural significance, and in the past the chiefs have been able to travel while transporting their headdresses in the cabin,” the company said in a statement to CBC News.
Air Canada stated that the “regrettable incident” will prompt a review of company rules.
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