#Paddler Nanda Baniwa, the only #Indigenous member of the #Brazilian delegation competing in the #Hawaiian #CanoeWorldChampionships (VA’A) in #Hawaii, shared on her social networks an experience of #discrimination she faced when she arrived in the #UnitedStates. During #immigration, her #headdress was #seized.
For the #Amazonian woman who lives in #Pará, the #cocar (headdress) is not just an ornament, but a symbol of her identity, struggle and culture, which were hurt at the time. She pointed out that, as well as #racism being hard enough to deal with, suffering discrimination without being able to react and just letting it happen is a distressing experience.
“My headdress is my great ally in my struggles, it’s part of me. And since the origin of everything, it belongs to us, and that’s how it is for all native peoples”, she shared.