Costumes mocking traditional native dress photoed at UdeM frosh

A group of young people were photographed on the grounds of Universit de Montral during frosh week dressed in so-called"'redface'"a parody oftraditional native dress.

Aphoto sent to the CBCFriday showed several people dressed up inmock traditional aboriginal outfits: animal skins, headdresses and feathers.

"We're not a Halloween costume." Irkar Beljaars, Mohawk activist

The imageappears to be taken outside the Marie-Victorin Pavilionof Universit de Montral.

It's not the first time the school has come under scrutiny for insensitive frosh activities.In 2011, a group of UdeM business students caused an uproar for painting themselves in blackface.

• Montreal university students don blackface

"They've obviously not learned their lesson," says Montreal-based Mohawk activist, Irkar Beljaars."It's really sad that people are continuing to just use and abuse our regaliaour cultureto party. We're not a Halloween costume."

Beljaars says similar incidents of "redface" are common, and thatparentsare partiallyresponsible forteaching their children about cultural misappropriation.

No one from the university was available for comment on this incident.

Melissa Mollen Dupuis, co-founder of Montreal's Idle No More branch, says thepicture upsets her, but she isnot surprisedthatsome might not understand why wearingthiscostume is offensive.

She isurging the people in the phototoparticipate inMcGill's Indigenous Awareness Week next month.