'Like a weight being lifted off my shoulders': Manitoba wrestler cuts hair to make weigh-in

An Indigenous wrestler from Manitoba is honouring her late grandfather after cutting off her hair in a clever bid to pass her weigh-in at the North American Indigenous Games this week.

Emma Bear, 19, was ready to compete for Manitoba in the female wrestling 76 kg/167.5 lbs weight division, but when it came time to weigh-in, the Peguis First Nation resident was found to be over the weight limit by 0.2 kg.

Wrestling Canada rules call for one weigh-in to take place on the morning of the first day of competition.

With just minutes to make a decision or forfeit her spot, Bear made the tough choice.

"A month ago I told myself I wasn’t going to do it, I couldn’t see myself with short hair. But here we are, and I've got short hair," Bear said.

She had been discussing the possibility of cutting her hair with her father leading up to the games. "He said if I didn't make weigh in I could just cut my hair because my hair was so long," said Bear. "I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do it."

Bear was able to make the difficult decision, bending over a trash bin while her father cut off her braids. She stepped onto the scale again, and passed the weigh-in.

"I was super excited and really happy that I made weight," Bear said.

Bear had been reluctant to cut her hair because of what it meant to her. She said her braids represented love. "I grew it for my family, I grew it for my friends…when you cut it, it's supposed to represent letting go," said Bear.

Two years ago, Bear was supposed to cut her hair with the rest of her family when her grandfather passed away. "I said no, I didn’t want to," she said.

But now, Bear says she feels a lot lighter. "I felt like I was able to let him go. It was just like a weight being lifted off my shoulders."

Bear said she plans to bury one of her braids in Halifax in memory of her grandfather, and is bringing the other one back to Winnipeg to bury next to a poppy planted in his honour.