Native American is a Culture — Not a Halloween Costume - video Dailymotion

Daunnette Neraih-Model has a favor to ask — don't dress like a Native American for Halloween.

Transcript

00:00When I see people wearing Native American costumes, my feelings are genuinely hurt.

00:29If you're thinking of getting your own Halloween costume this year, there's plenty of things

00:34you could be.

00:35You could be a pumpkin, you could be a witch, you could be a bumblebee, but please do not

00:40be dressed up as a Native American because my culture is not your costume.

00:54You dress up as a Native American for one night, but you don't understand the adversities

01:02that we go through, not just as an individual, but as a people, as a nation.

01:07They don't understand the pain that we feel because, you know, it wasn't their ancestors

01:12that were slaughtered, it wasn't their ancestors that were tortured, it wasn't their ancestors

01:19that were put away, it wasn't their ancestors that had their culture taken from them.

01:24It wasn't their ancestors, if anything, it was their ancestors that did the dirty to

01:28us.

01:29So it really just hurts my feelings whenever I see costumes that mimic my culture because

01:35I know that they don't understand what we go through as a people.

01:54We haven't really had a seat at the table to really be able to gain the respect that

02:20we deserve and, you know, to let our voices be heard.

02:25They want us to be quiet and it's not like all the, you know, like all the Indigenous

02:29peoples of this land is just sitting in their, you know, just sitting in their houses like

02:34not saying anything, you know.

02:36A lot of the people where I'm from and different reservations that I know, they do speak up

02:42about these, you know, about these problems.

02:44I can guarantee you that everybody that is trying is trying their hardest.

02:49I know I'm trying my hardest to make it known that we need a change, not just in Indian

02:54country, but in the whole United States, we need a change.