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The head of the Newfoundland and Labrador First Nation says a well-known online retailer’s decision to ban fur products discriminates against Indigenous artisans and traditions.
Etsy, which allows creators, artists and other sellers to create online marketplaces for their items, says all products containing animal fur will be banned from the platform in August.
Chief Jenny Brake, leader of the Qalipu First Nation in western Newfoundland, says First Nations have been harvesting and trading animals responsibly since time immemorial.
Brake says artisans from across the country take pride in their traditional products, many of which are made from fur or other materials such as seal skin.
At this week’s Assembly of First Nations General Assembly in Ottawa, she tabled a resolution that would ask the organization to reverse the decision.
Brake says the policies of Etsy, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, are contrary to the principles of truth and reconciliation.
“We hope that AFN has the opportunity to ask the guys at Etsy to reverse this decision and take the time to sit and talk with Indigenous people and fully understand how this impacts their lives,” Brake said in an interview Wednesday.
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