Dene elder Patrick Deranger and his wife Lee Deranger wanted to do something cultural and special to honour a small group of Indigenous graduates in Calgary last year. The couple thought eagle feathers would be an appropriate gift to recognize the hard work of the students. "A lot of these kids have faced some pretty big challenges in getting their Grade 12 diploma," said Lee Deranger. A letter sent to Patrick Deranger informing him that his application for eagle feathers was denied. She's an Elder in Residence at the college, but isn't comfortable having to distinguish status from non-status Indigenous students.

Source: CBC News May 02, 2019 13:52 UTC