B.C.'s Bass Coast festival has banned native headdresses

by Mark Teo

July 25, 2014

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Taking place in Merritt, B.C., the Bass Coast Project is one of the fastest-rising events on the Canadian festival circuit. Collecting some of the best beatmakers around—including AUX faves such as the inimitable A Tribe Called Red, Dan Solo of Sanctums / Modern Math Recordings, the ever-lush Sabota, and Sergio Levels, who we declared a rising Canadian producer—the fest, which happens on August 1-4, is making headlines for all the right reasons. And this week, Bass Coast gave us yet another reason to adore them: By our count, they’re the first major festival to ban wearing headdresses.

The festival took to Facebook to post this message.

“For various reasons, Bass Coast Festival is banning feathered war bonnets, or anything resembling them, onsite. Our security team will be enforcing this policy.

“We understand why people are attracted to war bonnets. They have a magnificent aesthetic. But their spiritual, cultural and aesthetic significance cannot be separated.

“Bass Coast Festival takes place on indigenous land and we respect the dignity of aboriginal people. We have consulted with aboriginal people in British Columbia on this issue and we feel our policy aligns with their views and wishes regarding the subject. Their opinion is what matters to us.”

We love it. Aside from banning the uses of headdresses, they gave a simple, elegant reasoning that touches on a few major points: That cultural appropriation strips these items of their significance; that the event, as with many festivals, happens on colonized land; and that, in this situation, non-native people don’t get to determine what’s offensive. Bravo, Bass Coast.

It’s a wonderful response to an issue that seemingly arises every summer—as festival season kicks into gear, so, too, does the befuddling trend of wearing war bonnets as fashion statements. It’s a phenomenon that’s also gotten several prominent artists in trouble: the Flaming Lips Wayne Coyne has been dismissive of the controversial issue—he supported his friend, Christina Fallin, on her decision to wear a headdress, while he also mocked the situation by posting a photo of a dog wearing a war bonnet—while Pharrell wore one on the cover of Elle. The latter apologized for his actions.

Either way, we applaud Bass Coast for creating this policy. A Tribe Called Red, too, took to Twitter back Bass Coast’s important decision.

On July 23, as well, they encouraged fest-goers to avoid wearing headdresses at Shambhala, another B.C. electronic music festival.

We hope that Bass Coast are trailblazers—and that their policy becomes a growing trend at summer festivals. Here’s a video teaser for the festival. B.C., we’re jealous of you.

Tags: Music, News, A Tribe Called Red, Bass Coast, sabota, Sanctums, Sergio Levels

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