think this might be of interest. if so, here’s the write up i did - just a condensed edit/reshuffling of the article. i thought it was a pretty great story, and the photo is stunning with the contrast, both in lighting and attire.
Stephen Mussell, a Plains Cree/Métis student who graduated with a juris doctor from the University of British Columbia on April 20, decided to forgo common graduation attire and instead opt with tradition.
Said Mussell, “the cap and gown are referred to as ‘regalia’ and are worn to maintain an academic tradition that is centuries old. I wanted to wear the regalia of our people, and to celebrate the thousands of years of Indigenous knowledge, laws and traditions that I value above all else.”
He wore a tanned deer hide beaded vest made by his girlfriend Samantha Dawson’s mother, a gift he received as a graduation present. “Samantha’s family is Tlingit and Northern Ttutchone, and the vest was made in the Northern Tutchone style.“
He also wore beaded moccasins from his mother, a quillwork bolo tie from his father, and carried an eagle feather that was given to him by his nohkom (grandmother) for courage and strength.
“I would like to pretend that I was confident and fearless, but I felt quite nervous,” he says. “I was the only one out of hundreds of students not wearing the cap and gown, and the thought of walking across the stage in front of everyone was a bit frightening.”
The photo was taken by Robin Munshaw, which Mussell believes happened when students were welcomed to the territory by a musqueam elder; the university is located on the traditional and unceded territory of the Musqueam people.
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