What is a Ribbon Skirt?

The first steps to knowing ourselves and our community, is knowing where our traditions come from and how we relate to others through those traditions.

What exactly is a Ribbon Skirt?

The history of the Ribbon Skirt comes down to us through many cross-cultural interactions, and so, many different interpretations and expressions exist. Nearly all First Nations and Indigenous groups across Turtle Island have a strong tradition in this iconic piece of clothing, and all have their own stories and protocol surrounding them. I am only able to speak to my own research and the traditions that are my own, though I hope that others may find connection and reinforcement of their own through this project.

The modern version of the Ribbon Skirt may sometimes differ from its historical sister, and how it came to be is an illuminating story of how our modern Indigenous, Metis and First Nations also developed. What our grandmothers wore, hundreds of years ago, may not be recognized as a Ribbon Skirt today, but began to show the elements that would start that evolution.

" Métis Mothers and children in ribbon and buckskin Dresses, Centennial celebrations, Elizabeth Métis settlement, Alberta.", 1967, (CU1132837) Courtesy of Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary.

What we know today as the modern Ribbon Skirt is a collaboration. Adapted from both the European design and the Buckskin dresses, T-dresses, and ceremonial skirts of the Woodlands and Plains, our ancestors modified that design with Indigenous and European materials, patterns and techniques. This is not unlike how the Métis themselves came to be, and to me, the Ribbon Skirt becomes a beautiful analogy of our storied and vibrant culture, acceptance of the past and valuing all of our roots.

Regardless of the role of the ribbons skirt in one’s own community and tradition, what we see today as the modern ribbon skirt is the evolution of a piece of clothing over centuries, having a diverse ancestry in its roots and traditions. I want to explore those diverse roots and uncover the commonalities between all groups who share in this tradition, as there is almost no piece of regalia more wide-spread and shared by more nations than the Ribbon Skirt.

What does a Ribbon Skirt represent?

In this new age, more than ever, we need to identify the things we have in common rather than those we have in difference. We have an opportunity to use these similarities in tradition and regalia as tools to find common ground, to open dialogue and to honour one another’s voices. The Ribbon Skirt represents that opportunity for me and was the inspiration behind this project.

A Ribbon Skirt can be a simple as a piece of clothing, or as Sacred as a piece of regalia used only for Sweatlodge and Ceremony. It can be an expression of womanhood and strength, of remembrance of the Missing and Murdered, a symbol of defiance and protection of natural resources against corporate powers, or a representation of the journey of those who are reclaiming their identities through traditional practices. Ribbon Skirts are a symbol of resilience, survival and identity, but their meaning changes with each person who wears one and each person who shares their history.

For Indigenous peoples, the Ribbon Skirt represents our own personal reclamation. It represents reclaiming identity, and wearing that identity proudly. It has become armour. It is a cultural protection against assimilation and degradation. It is a reminder of our roles in our community as women and as members. It reminds us of our sacredness as women and the power in that. It tells our story of adaptation and survival.

When we wear our ribbon skirts, we are reaffirming what we know ourselves to be. This is my strength, and the strength of the community that claims me. It is part of our heritage, a collective heritage and although we all have different traditions and Sacred protocol surrounding the Ribbon Skirt, they do not belong specifically to any one group. We share the history and and tradition.

There are many different meanings belonging to the colours, materials and number and length of ribbons on our skirts. This is something that is specific and unique to each teaching and each nation, and I encourage you to reach out to Knowledge Keepers and Elders of your Community to learn more about your own traditions and Protocol.

The Métis and Ribbon Skirts

It is important to note, that the historical ribbon skirts worn by our Métis grandmothers did not necessarily have the same ceremonial or Indigenous Cultural symbolism that they do now. They were a culmination of two different cultures interacting with each other, and the result of which evolved into the modern ribbon skirt. We have been wearing ribbons on our skirts and leggings since the Early 1800’s, when those same Grandmothers were living alongside their European fur-trapping husbands in forts that dotted the fur-trade routes and had access to expensive imports like calico and silk ribbons from overseas. The subsequent development of the Ribbon Skirt as we see it today has a much different role and cultural context, but there is no doubt whatsoever, that the Ribbon Skirt existed in a Métis cultural and functional context, which has been one line of the evolution of the modern Ribbon Skirt

It is also important to recognize that not all Métis communities and groups share the same traditions. While many Métis decided on living in the urban confines of town and fort, many more still decided on living with their First Nations Families, taking after them and continuing their traditions, though they were of varied lineages. We are from across the country, with distinct language, ceremony and family heritage. Not all Métis have a history of Ribbon Skirts in their families, or record of them.

The clothing of Indigenous women was not consistently documented and the photographic documentation that does exist is generally in a formal setting and does not accurately represent daily life, traditions or clothing. Owing to the racism, stigma and persecution of Indigenous heritage of centuries, it is difficult to follow the historical record of Métis traditions in an unbroken line, let alone our clothing. Many of our ancestors turned to concealing their First Nations heritage when they could, and when persecuted by the Canadian government and facing disinfranchisement, we burned our sashes, capotes, and materials of our cultural inheritance, along with our Ribbon Skirts, fearing the safety and livelihoods of our families.

I hope that this project can help to reconnect lost threads, reclaim identities and heal displacement trauma through revitalizing our roots in the traditional and land-based arts.

"Ambroise Dydime Lepine, Metis leader during Red River rebellion." From Tintype. L-R: Edmond Lepine (baby); Miss Lepine (later Mrs. K. Lawrence); Louis Lepine, [ca. 1880s], (CU1107358) by Unknown. Courtesy of Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary.

Each of us comes from a different cultural inheritance, based on our lineage and life paths, and everyone has their own comfort levels when approaching these traditions. I hope that this project may help to encourage your own investigations into traditions that are appropriate for yourself.

How do we use these teachings and why is the history important?

It is so necessary for us to have a full understanding of where our iconic pieces of regalia come from. By talking about the evolution and the history of the Ribbon Skirt, we can come to a greater understanding of the things that connect us, rather than the things that divide. What it means to be Métis and deepening our connection to both the Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. Peoples who shared common land, language and life on the Plains and in the Woodland areas of Turtle Island gave rise to a new people, the Métis, and a vibrant and diverse culture celebrating both branches of our lineage.

This only serves to help to negate the toxic effects of lateral violence between our communities, including those of our First Nations brothers and sisters with whom we share the land and a common history.

So much of what we have is from a broken line, as we have been separated, migrated and been relieved of our cultural practices for so long. It is now our responsibility to pick up those threads and continue weaving the tapestry that was unfinished by other hands.

Being Métis, we represent a unique facet of the Indigenous community, walking a line between both worlds. Sometimes this has afforded us privilege, and sometimes it has afforded us hardship. But in being what we are, we are able to live in both worlds, speak both languages and to become mediators for both the Indigenous community and the settler community in our common dialogue.

I can not think of better symbolism than using the teachings of the Ribbon Skirt, the product of both settler and First Nations traditions to continue this conversation, to use art as a mediator in our discussions, and community learning as a vehicle for reclamation and reconciliation for all of us.

Join me on the next part of our Journey: The History of the Métis in the development of the Ribbon Skirt

History of the Métis and the Ribbon Skirt