A Montreal woman was stuck paying for $1,500 worth of Indigenous costumes this Halloween after her group protested by placing stickers on one store’s products.

Halloween is usually a time of fun for the whole family but Native groups in Montreal are upset over costumes that they are calling racist.

“These costumes depict Indigenous people in a very dehumanizing way,” said Stacey Gomez, a coordinator at Concordia’s Centre for Gender Advocacy. “They are very racist and dated representations of Indigenous people that’s just not very accurate.”

Some protesters taken to protesting the outfits by placing stickers reading “We’re Not Costumes” on them in Halloween stores.

Jessica Deer, a member of the Kahnawake Youth Forum, was arrested on Friday for placing the stickers.

She placed them on costumes at several Halloween stores, but the manager called the police at Boutique Crazy Halloween on Ste Catherine St. when Deer placed stickers on the costumes.

 

“The police told us either we had to pay for everything that was damaged or face charges for vandalism or mischief,” she said, adding that she was forced to buy more than $1,500 worth of costumes.

Deer said she objects to the costumes not just for being culturally offensive, but for being sexist as well.

“They used words like ‘Indian princess,’ ‘Indian maiden,’ it’s just really offensive,” she said. “These costumes contribute to that culture that normalizes violence against Indigenous women and girls.”

Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations spokesperson Fo Niemi compared the Native costumes to blackface.

“It promotes racial stereotypes and it does influence the way people treat (others), so that’s why it’s important to send a message,” he said.

Deer said she wants people to think twice before choosing a Halloween costume and heading out to a party or trick or treating this year.

“We’re constantly having to defend our own identity, from being mocked, used as a trend, as a form of entertainment and that’s the problem,” she said.