The Cowichan Sweaters

The sweaters seen above are the Cowichan sweaters made by Coast Salish people in Duncan, British Columbia, which are hand-made with traditional craft practices of the Coast Salish people. Being a popular item associated with Canadian identity, the Cowichan sweaters are authentic and unique in their meaningful designs. These include the thunderbird representing strength, the orca as the king of the ocean, and the salmon as survival. These are family designs from the Coast Salish clans. Many Coast Salish people consider the Cowichan sweater important for passing on the Cowichan tradition of knitting. This passing is considered a community gathering, taught from family member to family member, and especially important for Indigenous women. Dora Wilson expresses it perfectly: “The girls in our family learn the process of knitting from our mothers… I think it’s important for them to know that this is our culture and we’re passing it onto them... People want a good sweater made with pride and I feel a lot of satisfaction from having the knowledge on how to knit a Cowichan sweater and I feel very proud that I am a Cowichan knitter and that I’m passing it onto my family.” (YouTube clip) The Cowichan sweaters are authentic in their quality, colour, and weight of the natural undyed wool. The sweaters are hand-crafted using pure Cowichan wool that is washed and carded by hand in the summer.

Sources and Discussion

            However, knitting the Cowichan sweaters was not solely a passion for many Indigenous women, but a way to support their families. The Indigenous women in “The Story of the Coast Salish Knitters” shared how this was a form of economic stability which involved many late nights knitting in order to stay alive and feed the family. The Cowichan knitters have presented Indigenous women as key economic actors in society. Although the knitting process got easier over time from experience, the women worked harder because of growing demand. Although the sweaters can sell for approximately $300, one woman says “the sentimental value that I have attached to this sweater makes the cost irrelevant to me.” (Gabrielle Trach, 2016)

Although the Cowichan sweaters express huge amounts of hard work and dedication by the Coast Salish people, these sweaters have become well-known in popular culture, where most of them are cheap replications. Pictures seen above are a few examples of retail stores' replications of the Cowichan sweaters. Sweaters with similar design are being sold all around the world, especially in online stores. After researching, some fake sweaters were found to be selling for only a few dollars, in comparison to 300 dollars. However on other websites fake sweaters were seen for similar amounts or even more. On websites such as Etsy, Ebay, and Amazon, “comparable” sweaters are being sold rapidly. In a CTV news clip, this cultural appropriation is demonstrated further by explaining how Ralph Lauren and Nordstrom are advertising counterfeit sweaters as Cowichan sweaters and selling them for hundreds of dollars. This is problematic, especially for such big companies to be claiming them as Cowichan handmade sweaters. Cowichan people are appalled at the labelling of these sweaters advertised as “traditional Cowichan sweaters”. Additionally, moccasins have become popularized in many retail stores around the world including Payless shoe source, Ardene, and Urban Planet. Moccasins were found in Ardene’s selling for only $17 and $160 at The Bay, which are both much cheaper and much more expensive than the Authentic Indigenous pairs.

Furthermore, controversy was uplifted when the Cowichan sweaters were reproduced by the Hudson’s Bay Company for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Leading up to the Olympics, many manufacturers proposed designs to dress the Canadian team, including from the Coast Salish knitters. The Hudson’s Bay Company denied this contract claiming the Cowichan output would be too little and time acted as a constraint. As the company statement said, “it was clear that they were unable to meet Hudson's Bay Company requirements as a national retailer for consistency, speed to market and volume for delivery". The loss of this contract was very disappointing for the Coast Salish knitters. However, the company then mass-produced Cowichan-like sweaters being sold to athletes and the general public. To British Columbians and the Coast Salish people it is heartbreaking to see such a culturally significant form of art and tradition being mocked. Despite this, HBC claims to be aware of the sweaters not being authentic Cowichan ones, however admit to following designs. 

Critical Art Review

On February 21st, 2013 I had the wonderful opportunity to visit the Vancouver Art Gallery. The show presented was Ian Wallace: At  the Intersection of Painting and Photography. It was a very powerful show that caught my eye in many ways. His talent as a painter and photographer truly came out throughout the show.

The Ian Wallace exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery was very eye opening for me. I went with my classmates in my photography 11/12 class and it was very inspiring to many of us. Through his painting, sculpture, and photography, he showed us how powerful art can be. Wallace is also very interested in poetry and literature, which shows in his art pieces as well.

The most powerful section of this exhibition for me was the photographs with his painting and photos. He framed them in a mirror-like way with small strips of colour on one side, and street photographs on the other. I think this was a very creative way of portraying his painting and photography all in one frame. The strips brought out the colours in the pictures he took and made them “pop”. I think this showed the strong connection between visual art and photography. I enjoyed this because it showed how his artistic talents can go hand-in-hand and enhance each other in different ways.

This section was inspiring to me because it related to my work at the time. I was doing a large ongoing project on street photography and this gave me some ideas and incentive for my project. It was great that this show was relatable to my own photography, and I could get a lot out of it. Wallace’s investigation in the streets and his focus on urban life created a new outlook on city life for me. He focused on one’s relationship to the modern city and the surrounding architecture.  

The layout of the project was very effective and left much room for interpretation. In my opinion, openness and will to walk around is very important in gallery exhibitions. With plain white walls and plenty open space, it provided an ideal environment for our class to analyze the photographs. The photos were in very large scale which allowed us to look at them from different distances and depict them in many ways. Since they were so large, it allowed for a variety of different aspects to look at and I seemed to notice new things every time. I personally think that is a strong element in art to have confusion or wonders. That showed in this exhibition, as I often had to go back through the photos to understand them in unfamiliar ways. The way the photos were grouped together worked very well. The ones that were put side by side had strong connections to each other and enhanced one another.

One aspect that would’ve amplified my experience at this show was the artist explanations. I find that descriptions of the work being displayed is very helpful and interesting to know. I would’ve liked to know more about the thought and meaning behind his photographs, to see if my understanding of his art was the same as his purposeful meaning. Although there is space for completely individual opinions, I personally prefer knowing the story behind it all. This would’ve displayed the underlying truth of his artwork in a truly personal way. In my opinion, it is important to know the artist’s intent and then put your own thought into it.

The Ian Wallace presentation at the Vancouver Art Gallery was powerful and inspirational. He has played a critical role in contemporary art and continues to share his art and photography to encourage young artists, including my photography class. I was very impressed by this gallery opening and would suggest it to anyone.