Wedding dresses

 June 6, 2020

I had this dream where I was at a big community gathering at a farm with my friends. We heard there'd be free food, and we were all excited about it!


Some kids and women decided to wear wedding and flower girl dresses for a fundraiser. I thought I’d join in and wore a wedding dress with some black booties, thinking everyone would be dressed up too. Turns out, I was one of the few walking around in a beautiful wedding dress.


We had to go through a long maze outside the building to get in, and by the time we arrived, it felt like we were the last ones there.


As we walked in, I felt a bit strange. We saw women and girls in those wedding dresses standing in stalls, looking tired and bored—like they were just going through the motions. We kind of ignored them, as if it was just a normal part of the event, fitting into that white culture vibe.


Once inside, we noticed people already sitting at tables, having finished eating. We found some seats and I could see there was still plenty of food left.


Then I heard an announcer talking about free appetizers. My heart sank because I thought the food was supposed to be free for everyone. My friends didn’t react, but I was a bit stunned—trying to keep it together. We were expecting a free dinner.


I started thinking about whether I had any money on me or if I’d have to say I wasn’t that hungry so my friends wouldn’t feel pressured to spend their last bit of cash on me. But hey, appetizers sounded pretty good!


And that was the end of that…


For us Indigenous folks, dealing with the threat of death is nothing new. It's just part of life for so many of us.


Even if I’m wearing a wedding dress, I’m still Gitxsan at heart.


We’ve shared so many common experiences, but this society seems to only care about making a profit, ignoring the real needs of Indigenous people, especially vulnerable women and children.


In the end, all we get are those appetizers.


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