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Rock Your Mocs Week

Wednesday, 13 November 2019 14:48

Ornate Beadwork on a pair of Vuntut Gwitchin moccasins (Photo courtesy of YFN Culture and Tourism)

The weather may be cold outside, but the Rock Your Mocs campaign has Indigenous folks from across Canada and the States wearing moccasins out and about. Weather at school, work or in the community the Rock Your Mocs campaign this week is all about promoting cultural pride.

The event was started in 2011 by Jessica Atsye of Leguna Pueblo, New Mexico and since then has grown to a worldwide movement.  Atsye was 19 years old when she first created the campaign as a Facebook event for her and her friends, but the page quickly went viral, and has continued to grow each year.  Normally the event is a single day, November 15, but this year it was extended to the whole week between November 9th to the 16th so participants can celebrate at their schools or workplaces when the 15th falls on a weekend.

According to Atsye, the main goal of the campaign is to unify indigenous peoples globally through social media, showcase the diversity of nations and to honour ancestors.  All week participants have been taking photographs of themselves in their moccasins and uploading the image with the hashtag #RockYourMocs to create an online photo album for the world to see.    

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