Braids of Saskatchewan Indigenous man cut off in Edmonton hospital

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Family members are calling for change after the braids of an elderly Indigenous man from Pasqua First Nation in southeast Saskatchewan were cut off and thrown away during a hospital stay in Edmonton.

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Day school survivor Dexter Adams, 84, was a frail elder on Alberta’s long waiting list for continuing care on May 6 when his wife, Eve Adams, discovered her husband’s braids had been removed without his family’s knowledge or consent.

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“I had to call the nursing floor manager and the braids were found in the garbage on top of a soiled adult diaper,” said Kathleen Crowe, Adams’ niece, at a news conference held by the Alberta NDP on Tuesday.

“The cutting of my uncle’s hair caused all of us great emotional and spiritual harm. It also evoked past cultural trauma that my uncle, his family and community experienced throughout their lives.”

Crowe said braids have a deep cultural meaning and to have them cut off without consent was crushing. Adams’ bear grease, an Indigenous form of medicine, was also discarded along with his eagle feather, Crowe said.

“My uncle was a day school survivor and in his era it wasn’t culturally safe to have long hair. So as he got older, he grew his hair long … To be able to grow his hair long was very special for him and to his spirit,” Crowe said.

“Basically, it was the essence of his spirit. And to have that cut off — it was a huge change in him.

“The braids were found in the garbage on top of soiled adult diapers … I can’t even begin to describe how awful that was.”

Unable to return home because of the risk of falling, Dexter Adams was eventually transferred to a long-term care bed and died within a few weeks.

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Kerry Williamson, a spokesperson for Alberta Health Services (AHS), said the incident was “deeply regrettable and should never have happened.”

AHS policies require that informed consent from the patient and family is provided before cutting hair, even for medical purposes.

The organization said it has taken a number of steps to better train staff. Williamson said AHS has since held three classes about the cultural significance of hair for Indigenous people. They were open to all hospital staff and volunteers and new resources for staff have been added to its internal website.

“AHS is continually working to improve its system and remains dedicated to building stronger relationships with Indigenous communities while ensuring accessible, culturally appropriate health care across Alberta,” Williamson said, adding AHS already has a mandatory Indigenous training program for staff.

Crowe said she doesn’t think that training is adequate after what happened to her uncle.

“It would help in bringing more closure to have the hospital investigate their own systems in terms of cultural safety with Indigenous people,” she said.

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Williamson said an internal investigation did take place after the incident, but the results are confidential “as we do not comment on (human relations) matters.”

Crowe said the family was interviewed by a senior staff member who asked questions, but there has been no followup.

“The failure to acknowledge and respect the deep cultural significance of hair in braids in Indigenous culture crushed my uncle’s spirit,” Crowe said.

“This should not have happened. My uncle deserved better. Indigenous people deserve better.”

Diana Fond, health ombudsperson with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), attended this week’s news conference because Adams was originally from Pasqua First Nation, located approximately 65 kilometres northeast of Regina.

In her role as FSIN’s health ombudsman, Fond said there have been more than 300 cases filed in just over one year.

Many Canadians are unaware of the health care disparities Indigenous people face, she said.

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“There’s a lot of gaps and our lifespan is shorter. There’s a lot of things that we can do better,” she said.

“This isn’t about one health care and one worker in one hospital.”

Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said in a statement that she was extremely concerned to learn about the case.

“Whether this situation was a result of discrimination or ignorance — neither is appropriate, and it is situations like this that cause Indigenous people to feel unwelcomed in our health-care system,” LaGrange said.

Edmonton-West Henday MLA and NDP critic for Indigenous relations Brooks Arcand-Paul said in the residential school era and day school era, braids were forbidden.

“For many it represents identity and spirituality,” Arcand-Paul added. “It is seen as a source of a person’s strength. It is core to their identity, spirit and connection to the Creator.”

— with files from The Canadian Press

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