Air Canada apologizes to AFN national chief for trying to take headdress

National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nipanak received this headdress New Year’s Day, honoring her role in the historic Indigenous Child Welfare Agreement, the eagle feathers blessed to support her in her travels and her challenges. It’s like you’re like your child, like your baby. It’s with you. It’s part of you. Wednesday night was the first time she says she had problems traveling with it on a small Dash 8 plane from Montreal to Fredericton. They wanted to put it down below. And of course it’s got cultural significance to me. And you know, at that point I was kind of stunned. She insisted on keeping the headdress with her as the crew took the case away and sent it to Cargo Woodhouse. Nipanak held the headrest on her lap. She later posted about it on Facebook, prompting anger, outrage, and demands for an apology. I felt hurt for her. Leonard Weasel Traveler gifted the headdress to the national chief on behalf of the Pecani Nation. He says items like this are sacred and need to be handled accordingly. Perhaps it was just a staff member doing their job and just not having this awareness. In a statement, Air Canada says the case was difficult to carry in the cabin due to storage space limitations and that it has reached out directly to speak with National Chief Woodhouse Nipanak to better understand and apologize for her experience. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says it was an unacceptable mistake. It is an unfortunate situation that I hope is going to lead to a bit of learning. The airline says it will review its policies to make sure special items like this can travel with the customer. The national chief says Despite the disrespect and humiliation she felt, she’s encouraged by the support from Indigenous and non indigenous Canadians, seeing it as a step towards reconciliation. Karen Pauls, CBC News, Winnipeg.