fbpx
facebook app symbol  twitter  linkedin  instagram 1
 

Brandi Morin, an award-winning Cree, Iroquois, and French journalist, interviewed Chief Wilton Littlechild to talk about why he gifted Pope Francis a headdress. 

Never miss Indian Country’s biggest stories and breaking news. Sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. 

Here’s what he had to say: 

“One of the things I learned that being raised by my grandparents, is you don’t criticize other traditions, other culture’s traditions. And in our traditional way, you would welcome a visitor of high dignitaries, and many other tribes have given headdresses to a lot of other people like ministers and senators and business people.” 

“We decided at home, as a community, to welcome him with a gift because he came into our territory. We were actually flabbergasted that he chose us because there were three site visits from Rome. All across the country, and we were picked, and we didn’t lobby for it. We were just chosen to be the one where he would give his apology.” 

He also repeatedly said the exchange was “tradition.”

Watch the interview here:

More Stories Like This

Q+A: Journalist Connie Walker Reflects on Season 3 of 'Stolen' Podcast Investigating Navajo Nation MMIP Cases
Native Bidaské with Sarah Eagle Heart (Oglála Lakota) on the Indigenous Fashion Collective
Twelve Cherokee Nation Cyclists, 950 Miles: The 40th Annual Remember the Removal Bike Ride
Leona Carlyle-Kakar (Ak-Chin), Instrumental in Securing the 1st Water Rights Settlement in Indian Country, Walks On
California Moves Forward with Pilot MMIP Program

Native Perspective.  Native Voices.  Native News. 

We launched Native News Online because the mainstream media often overlooks news that is important is Native people. We believe that everyone in Indian Country deserves equal access to news and commentary pertaining to them, their relatives and their communities. That's why the story you’ve just finished was free — and we want to keep it that way, for all readers.  We hope you'll consider making a donation to support our efforts so that we can continue publishing more stories that make a difference to Native people, whether they live on or off the reservation. Your donation will help us keep producing quality journalism and elevating Indigenous voices. Any contribution of any amount — big or small — gives us a better, stronger future and allows us to remain a force for change. Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous-centered journalism. Thank you.

 
About The Author
Neely Bardwell
Author: Neely BardwellEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Neely Bardwell (descendant of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indian) is a staff reporter for Native News Online. Bardwell is also a student at Michigan State University where she is majoring in policy and minoring in Native American studies.