#boyswithbraids

Jayroy Makokis' hair hasn't seen scissors in years.

For the Edmonton man, his carefully braided hair — which now reaches below his broad shoulders — is a symbol of pride in his culture, and a way to impart that pride on to his young children.

"I had a spiky hairdo, the faux hawk they called it, with the number two around the side, but now my hair, when it's out of its braid, it's to the bottom of my back," Makokis said in an interview with CBC Radio's Edmonton AM.

Makokis spoke about the cultural significance of his hair during a recent panel discussion organized by a group of students advocating for mandatory native studies courses at the University of Alberta.

"I started growing my hair four years ago when I started straightening my life out, when I stopped drinking, when I stopped going around partying. I wanted to reconnect with my culture."

Makokis is part of a new movement called Boys with Braids, founded by Michael Linklater who is Nehiyaw (Cree) from Thunderchild First Nation, Sask., whose young sons were often bullied for their long-braided hair.

The national social media campaign aims to educate the public on why Indigenous men and boys wear braids and foster understanding of the practice. A quick glance at  #boyswithbraids on Twitter pulls up hundreds of photographs of Indigenous men sporting their long hair with pride.