Members of a local family are upset about the treatment their grandfather received when attempting to place an order at Fabricland in North Battleford.
Cheyenna Sapp said her grandfather, Simon Sapp, 89, from Little Pine First Nation, visited Fabricland with two of his sons recently to buy some broadcloth fabric for ceremonial purposes.
But Cheyenna said the store employee was rude to Simon when he asked for specific colours and lengths of broadcloth to be cut. One of his sons was standing with him at the time.
“The lady was suggesting other fabrics to him,” Cheyenna said. “He turned down her suggestions and said ‘No, I just want this.’”
Cheyenna said each time the employee cut a new cloth, she would ask Simon ‘Seven metres? Seven metres?’ in a condescending tone.
“My Moshum and my uncle started to notice her demeanour had changed. [The employee] had become rude,” Cheyenna added.
When her grandfather adjusted his face mask, she said the employee began to yell at him, saying if he took the face mask off he would have to leave the store.
“My Moshum stayed silent but he was visibly uncomfortable and continued to adjust his face mask,” Cheyenna said.
Cheyenna said the employee became more upset and “continued to tell him over and over if he took it off he would have to leave.”
Her grandfather was upset at that point.
“Moshum said to the employee: ‘Don’t talk to us like that,’” Cheyenna said.
Her grandfather went to sit on a bench at the front of the store, but the clerk followed him “continuing to berate him, telling him if he takes his mask off he needs to leave the store.”
Cheyenna said her grandfather was humiliated and then left the store. His sons still made the purchase for him and spent $155 on the cloth, as well as their own purchases.
“He was visibly upset by it,” Cheyenna said. “He does not want to go back into Fabricland.”
Cheyenna is disturbed by the incident.
“In Indigenous culture, we highly respect our Elders, especially if they are pipe carriers, knowledge keepers,” Cheyenna said.
She said Simon, who is also the brother of renowned Cree artist, the late Allen Sapp, is himself a pipe carrier, and hosts many important ceremonies for the Indigenous community.
Cheyenna can’t understand why her grandfather was treated this way.
“I’m loath to say racism because it triggers people, and we receive the backlash from that,” she said. “Not the people who perpetuate the racism, but people who are victims of the racism. We are often silenced and told: ‘This is not racism, this is something else.’ But I do feel there were very strong racial undertones, for [the employee] to treat him that way.”
Cheyenna said there is not a lot that a fabric cutter needs to do in their work, but that all staff should treat customers with respect.
Apology issued
Fabricland North Battleford said in a statement to battlefordsNOW an apology has been issued to the family.
“This very sensitive matter is of a private nature between myself as the store manager, the Sapp family, and my employee that is involved,” owner-manager Cheryl Klippenstein said. “I have been in contact directly with the Sapp family and have given them a sincere letter of apology.”
Cheyenna said the family appreciates the apology, but adds she wants staff to have Indigenous cultural training, “so it doesn’t happen again.”
Quentin Weenie, of Sweetgrass First Nation, said he hopes this incident opens a dialogue.
He said there is an awareness of Kosher products and how they are prepared with specific requirements. Similarly, Indigenous cultural traditions need to be recognized and honoured in the same way.
Weenie said he hopes there will be more cultural understanding around the importance of cultural objects, such as this broadcloth fabric used in specific ceremonies.
Claude Desnomie, of Becky’s Place – Arts, Crafts and Creations in Fort Qu’Appelle, said as an Indigenous business owner he understands the importance of having certain broadcloth fabrics for cultural ceremonies, and following specific requests for length and colours.
“We do know what we are doing here when we are selling to First Nations,” he said.
Desnomie said he is aware there are certain times of the year when his store will need an abundance of cloth to meet the need for Indigenous ceremonies. Right now many First Nations are getting ready for spring ceremonies.
“We want to serve the people — like the Elder there, the one who is not getting his message across, and getting served the way he should be served,” Desnomie said. “That is what our basic principle is here: give the customer what he or she wants, and treat them with respect at all times.”
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