Christmas Play

[keely79]

Have just received the cast list for my DD's school play "the Smallest Angel". Was a bit perturbed to see that they are having a large proportion of the cast (but not my DD) dress up as Native Americans incl headdresses. We're in the UK so there's not the same awareness of the sensitivities here perhaps, but AIBU in feeling that they shouldn't be requiring the children to dress up like that? Also WIBU to say something to the school?

This person explains better than I could why it is a problem:

matadornetwork.com/life/may-think-harmless-dressing-like-native-american-halloween-heres-youre-wrong/

There are also a number of other national stereotypes being portrayed including Hawaiian dress, but the Native American one is the one that brought me up short.

[TeenAndTween]

Is the play about Native Americans?

I can see that native American costumes would be out of place as Halloween costumes, but if the play is about Native Americans, or includes a vast range of different countries/cultures in national dress then I wouldn't be bothered personally.

[Discobabe]

What's it aboit? Dressing up as a native american to play a native american in a play isn't really the same as dressing up as one for halloween.

[keely79]

I don't know what it's about - haven't seen the script, just the required costumes. I presume it's some sort of "angel travels round the world preparing for Christmas" type thing as they seem to be having Hawaiians and Chinese and Spanish and Swiss characters too. TBH don't quite see why it's necessary to have all of those racial stereotypes as part of the Christmas play - don't recall that being part of the Nativity, particularly as some of those cultures aren't even Christian in the main....

[Willow2016]

Our primary did a play about all different countries and how they celebrate things last Xmas. It was a sort of 'angels going round the world' type of thing. It was really good, very interesting how the cultures varied. It showed that not all countries celebrate Xmas the same way and what their traditions were at this time. I think its great that they learned about other cultures as well as their own countrys traditions.

We have the nativity at the Christingle service/assembly in church another day.

[ChickyDuck]

I was actually in this play a very long time ago when I was in reception! I can't remember much about it but I was chief Indian and had a line as far as I recall it was angels going round the world learning about the meaning of Christmas or something of the like.

[x2boys]

my ds2 school did this a couple of yrs ago its a special school so the entire school took part it was about an angel travelling all over the world to bring people together for the nativity so they had each class dressed as in traditional dress from a different country is it something like that?

[DearMrDilkington]

If it's about an angel travelling around the world then I don't see the issue. Its important to remember the native Americans imo and it sounds like the school are doing this in a nice way.

The Christmas play overall sounds a bit random though, where are the 3 wise men.

[DearMrDilkington]

It's better than getting a kid to dress up as Donald trump to represent America as well

[Mumzypopz]

I really don't see the issue here? Think the link is referring to native Americans being a culture rather than a costume.....but they did also wear a distinctive dress code if you want to call it that, and I don't see an issue with dressing up in said outfits? It's not meant to be degrading, but showing how they used to dress surely? By the same breath, is it wrong to dress up in any costume.....are you dissing Father Christmas if you dress up like him, or anything else?