An Indigenous woman says a dance performed by a Ukrainian group is "cultural appropriation" and "offensive."
Janelle Pewapsconias recorded a video of the performance Saturday night at Folkfest in Saskatoon and posted it on her Facebook page. It shows Ukrainian dancers, some wearing headdressess, performing a routine which includes parts similar to powwow dancing.
The Pavlychenko Folklorique Ensemble said in a statement the piece, called Canadian Kaleidoscope, has been performed internationally and in Saskatoon since 2003.
The dance group said the performance was meant to promote inclusivity, not disrespect Indigenous culture. But Ms. Pewapsconias says she's offended because Indigenous dancers weren't used and what the dancers wore was inappropriate.
"In the city with one of the highest populations of Indigenous people, why weren't our dancers being used?" she said. "How could their outfits look like that? I am confused as to why this still happens."
The Pavlychenko dance group said the piece "was created with gratitude, love and respect to all of the cultures that make Canada so wonderfully diverse."
"This montage has been performed locally, provincially, nationally, and internationally, and has been well received. The sequence of the cultural segments was taken into careful consideration. Knowing the Indigenous peoples were the first inhabitants of Canada, they are the first to be honoured within the piece."
Ms. Pewapsconias wants groups to do more consultations with Indigenous people.
"I don't say this to offend or be offensive, but it is not up to white people to decide for us how we can be honoured," she said.
The dance group's artistic director, Serhij Koroliuk, is in Ukraine until Friday, but the statement said he will speak with reporters and elders when he returns to Saskatoon to create a more open dialogue.