Helen Tommy, 24, walks down the runway in an outfit designed by Okalani LeBlanc. Tommy, of Cree and Carrier (also known as Dakelh) First Nations, did not have many indigenous experiences in her early childhood while growing up in foster care. She reconnected with her culture through support programs for aborginal youth and later became a mentor herself.
“To be away from my culture, I was very lost, disconnected, and I didn’t have a sense of self,” Tommy says. “When I came off of the runway today, I felt all the power in the show today. I welled up in tears because of the fact that our people weren’t allowed to come together in such amazing things like this,” she says, referring to past laws in Canada banning tribal gatherings. We’ve come a long way,” she continues, as she wipes away tears. “It gives me goose bumps.”
Tommy says this event is “inspiring for not only our elders, but for our young ones to understand that it's OK to be First Nations in this society.”
Sonia Narang/PRI