Son’s braid cut at Calgary school: Indigenous mother hopes for teaching moment
CALGARY — Shantel Tallow and her son Rafe Vadnais began a meaningful ritual last weekend when the 11-year-old asked if she would braid his hair each morning.
Once the braid is complete, a prayer is said to set the tone for the rest of the day.
“I was so honoured,” said Tallow, a member of the Kainai First Nation in southern Alberta, who runs an Indigenous catering business in Calgary.
“For Rafe, it was explained to him that he’s no longer a little boy, that he’s going through that transition into becoming a young man.”