The Saskatchewan family of an Indigenous man whose braids were cut off during a stay at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, without permission, is searching for answers.
Eve Adams says she went to visit her 84-year-old husband Dexter Adams in May at the central Edmonton hospital and found his braids, eagle feather and bear grease, a form of Indigenous medicine, in a garbage can.
Katheleen Crowe says the cutting of her uncle’s hair has caused her family “emotional and spiritual harm.”
“After Dexter’s braids were cut off, it was though he lost his spirit and his will to live,” Crowe said at a news conference held by the family.
“He died five weeks later. The failure to acknowledge and respect the deep cultural significance of hair and braids in Indigenous culture crushed my uncle’s spirit.”
Crowe says her uncle’s braids were found in a garbage can on top of a soiled …