 Ribbon skirts are a really valuable part of my culture, and so I invited my mom who makes ribbon skirts to share some teachings about their significance. A ribbon skirt is the traditional skirt a woman wears in sacred spaces, during ceremonies, during special events. So some examples of places that I would wear a ribbon skirt would be at a sweat lodge ceremony, at a Sundance ceremony. Ribbon skirts are typically made of all kinds of different fabrics. I personally like to use a cotton blend with a pattern on the fabric. People also like to use a solid color and then use ribbons or applique as a way to highlight either the story that they're trying to tell with the skirt or the symbolism within the skirt using the ribbons and the applique in that way. So there's lots of different ways to decorate a ribbon skirt. I think that skirts in today's times are also an act of resistance against continued colonization. I need to know that I am asserting my Aboriginal title and rights and identity, and the way for me to do that is through wearing a ribbon skirt in all kinds of different spaces and places. Beyond just the cultural ceremonies and cultural events and sacred spaces, but also out in the mainstream world where lots of people are going to see the skirt, they're going to ask questions. I can use a skirt to tell a story. On days when I'm sharing with the students about things within the culture or difficult content, so maybe it's the story of colonization or maybe it's about missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls or maybe it's about some really difficult stories in healthcare that have happened in recent times. And during those days, I wear skirts in the classroom as a way to bring myself energy. I feel like the ancestors are with me when I'm wearing a skirt in the classroom. And so on those days, I'm really sharing with students some really important information that every Canadian needs to learn about. And ribbons can come in solid colours. They can come also with their own print on them. They can be near the bottom of the skirt. Some artists are taking lots of creative energy and putting them diagonally, putting them on the side. And so there's lots of different ways that those that make the skirts are able to really help those that are wearing the skirt feel strong in their Indigenous identity and feel proud to wear the ribbon skirt.