Kitchener ribbon skirt making workshop teaches more than just sewing
Anishnabeg Outreach (AO) in Kitchener is hosting several events ahead of Truth and Reconciliation Day, including a ribbon skirt making workshop on Tuesday.
“Ribbon skirts are used in ceremonies in native culture. That’s why we are doing this, so that when we have any ceremonies coming up we have a ribbon skirts to wear,” said AO’s Melissa Joseph.
Anishnabeg Outreach staff said the skirts are more than just traditional clothing, each one has a unique message behind it.
“For me, I chose red and black and white to represent the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls,” said Caitlyn McComb with AO.
McComb said the workshop is the second of its kind and there will be four more in the coming weeks, including a ribbon shirt making workshop in October. McComb said it’s all thanks to several local organizations that chipped in with materials and equipment.
“It’s through those that we are able to offer things like this as they are unfunded, so we are thankful for that,” McComb said.
The skirts are made from broad cloth and satin ribbons. (CTV Kitchener)
Anishnabeg Outreach staff said it is a great learning experience for those within the Indigenous community.
“I’m just really appreciative to participate in something like this because it’s something that I never learned about in my culture being an Indigenous woman,” said Jessica Fink-Kewageshig.
Anishnabeg Outreach CEO, Stephen Jackson, said the ribbon skirts are made from broad cloth, satin ribbons, double sided fabric tape, elastic bands, sewing machines, irons and lots of love and patience.
Jackson said it could take up to eight hours to make one skirt.
“So it’s a way for us to reclaim our Indigenous identity, from everything that was taken from residential schools,” said Joseph.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.