Audio Transcript
However, I discovered that this is a photograph of the non-Aboriginal Deputy Superintendent of Indian Affairs Hayter Reed (1888-1897) and his stepson Jack Lowry dressed in Indian costume for a costume ball that was held on February 17, 1896, in the Senate Chamber on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
The theme of this ball was "Canadian History," and the planners were hoping to encourage Canadians to learn more about their history. Despite the costume ball's goal to promote Canadian history, Reed's outfit said much more about Canada's subjugation of Aboriginal peoples and indicated that such tribal clothing and ceremonial objects were now destined for the museum display case.