![\"\"](\"http:\/\/fashionresourcecentre.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/1-body-bag-ribbon-dress.jpg\")
<\/a><\/a><\/a>Later that March Vogue.com posted another article on Geronimo Louie (he\/him\/his). Geronimo Louie is a Two-Spirit Indig-Queer Advocate and artist. Louie specializes in Fashion and Design, often creating custom looks for himself with inspiration from his Chiricahua Apache and Navajo heritage. Louie is also a Din\u00e9 Pride Youth Director and has previously spoken about gender identity and fluidity on BBC news. His ribbon work is vibrant and colourful often incorporating the rainbow colours of the Pride flag and neutral colours for added pop. His fashion is an expression of resilience and everlasting effect of ribbon skirts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ribbon skirts, dresses and ribbon work have been a relatively recent but powerful form of art and expression for Indigenous communities. Ribbon work is believed to have its beginnings near the Great Lakes, where French traders would have traded with the local tribes accessories brought from France, like silk ribbons. Ribbon work spread through the Prairies and Plains of North America, only to eventually have been collected to put in museums. There was a resurgence of ribbon work in the 1970s along with many Indigenous rights movements. Ribbon skirts have seen a lot of change since they were first introduced.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n In March 2021, Deb Haaland was sworn in as U.S. Secretary of the Interior. Haaland chose to wear a custom ribbon skirt as a part of her swearing in, as well as her family members around her. Haaland\u2019s ribbon skirt was designed by Agnes Woodward from Kawacatoose First Nation in Saskatchewan. Woodward designed the rainbow and blue skirt with a cornstalk in the center to represent the Laguna Pueblo tribe, of which Haaland is a member. Woodward designs under Recreations and uses her art to raise awareness about the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Persons Movement. Each of her skirts has colourful ribbons creating a canvas in which she appliqu\u00e9s intricate and meaningful symbols to tell a story. At times each skirt can take up to weeks to design and create. Creating ribbon skirts is healing and empowering for Woodward, and for many other Indigenous artists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Skawennati is another artist from Canada (Kahnawake to be exact) who utilizes ribbon work in her fashion. She was also covered by Vogue.com in August of 2020. She is a Mohawk artist who specializes in digital art with the future in mind. She told Vogue \u201cWe need to imagine the future of our nations, because we have been relegated to the past for far too long.\u201d Skawennati used Marvelous Designer to create 3D clothing for Second Life, and when the Santa Fe Indian Market show came around, she decided to take the designs from pixels to patterns. The Calico & Camouflage collection is tied to Skawennati\u2019s Mohawk heritage. The patterns were contrasted with long solid ribbons that flowed off the sides. Ribbon shirts are also a part of Mohawk identity, and this was Skawennati\u2019s first attempt at physical fashion. Skawennati is focusing on Indigenous futurism and Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace (AbTeC) workshops. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Within the last few months Ribbons skirts have been making headlines in the news. Last January a 10-year-old girl from Cote First Nation took a stand in her ribbon skirt against her Saskatchewan elementary school. In December she was shamed for wearing a ribbon skirt instead of the store-bought dresses the other girls were wearing for a formal day. Her parents shared the story on social media and soon after she became the center of a movement. Indigenous women from all over the world began showing their support by donning their ribbon skirts in solidarity. Ribbon skirts are often seen during ceremonies, and when the Potlatch Ban in Canada started in 1885, ribbon skirts along with ceremonial items were outlawed by the government. Since ribbon skirt\u2019s resurgence they have a much deeper meaning than tradition. Lana Kulak, the girl\u2019s mother sees the ribbon skirt as a symbol strength, resilience, and womanhood. A year later the school is now holding ribbon skirt activities. January 4th, 2022 was the first National Ribbon Skirt Day and was celebrated across the country. This year also marks the second year of Walk a Mile in a Ribbon Skirt<\/em>. This movement also started from discrimination and turned into empowerment, where people across the world show their support and solidarity by wearing a ribbon skirt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ribbon skirts’ meanings vary from person to person. From personal to traditional designs, from ceremonial to casual, ribbon skirts are a beautiful manifestation of strength found in the feminine spirit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/geronimo.louie\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/agneswoodward\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/echohawkd3\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/skawennati\/?hl=en<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Adach, K. (2021, August 3). Deb Haaland wore a ribbon skirt to her swearing in ceremony. meet the designer who created it. | CBC Radio<\/em>. CBCnews. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/radio\/unreserved\/indigenous-fashion-the-politics-of-ribbon-skirts-runways-and-resilience-1.6034149\/deb-haaland-wore-a-ribbon-skirt-to-her-swearing-in-ceremony-meet-the-designer-who-created-it-1.6047011<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Allaire, C. (2020, August 26). This indigenous artist designs traditional clothes for a virtual world<\/em>. Vogue. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.vogue.com\/article\/skawennati-indigenous-artist-virtual-fashion<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Allaire, C. (2021, March 22). Indigenous ribbon work always tells a story<\/em>. Vogue. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.vogue.com\/article\/geronimo-louie-indigenous-ribbon-work<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n CBC\/Radio Canada. (2020, September 27). ‘walk a mile in a ribbon skirt’ event educates on prejudice against indigenous women | CBC news<\/em>. CBCnews. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/edmonton\/walk-a-mile-in-a-ribbon-skirt-1.5740765<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n CBC\/Radio Canada. (2021, January 6). ‘catalyst for a movement’: People around the world don ribbon skirts after Sask. girl shamed for wearing hers | CBC news<\/em>. CBCnews. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/saskatchewan\/ribbon-skirt-movement-1.5862052<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Duoos, K. (2019, September 30). The ribbon skirt: Part 1<\/em>. Leech Lake News. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.leechlakenews.com\/2019\/09\/30\/the-ribbon-skirt-part-1\/<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Forani, J. (2021, January 16). Thousands share indigenous ribbon skirt photos in solidarity with Sask. girl<\/em>. CTVNews. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.ctvnews.ca\/canada\/thousands-share-indigenous-ribbon-skirt-photos-in-solidarity-with-sask-girl-1.5269436<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n History of American Indian ribbonwork<\/em>. Milwaukee Public Museum. (n.d.). Retrieved from https:\/\/www.mpm.edu\/index.php\/research-collections\/anthropology\/online-collections-research\/ribbonwork-woodland-indians\/history-an#:~:text=The%20exact%20origin%20of%20ribbonwork,wedding%20dress%20made%20in%201802<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Jaycox, E. (2020, December 5). Ponoka and Maskwacis women share meaning of ribbon skirts<\/em>. Ponoka News. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.ponokanews.com\/news\/ponoka-and-maskwacis-women-share-meaning-of-ribbon-skirts\/<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mandes, J. (2022, January 5). The first national ribbon skirt day celebrated nationwide<\/em>. Global News. Retrieved from https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/8488674\/national-ribbon-skirt-day-celebrated-nationwide\/<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Martens, K. (2021, January 13). Cultural ignorance at heart of skirt-shaming controversy<\/em>. APTN News. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.aptnnews.ca\/national-news\/first-nations-ribbon-skirts\/<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Nowell, C. (2021, February 4). They asked for PPE and got body bags instead-she turned them into a healing dress<\/em>. Vogue. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.vogue.com\/article\/body-bag-native-ribbon-dress<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Rabbit, C., & Reporter, L. J. I. (2022, January 1). Walk a mile in a ribbon skirt movement grows in Edmonton<\/em>. thestar.com. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.thestar.com\/news\/canada\/2022\/01\/01\/walk-a-mile-in-a-ribbon-skirt-movement-grows-in-edmonton.html<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Reecreeations<\/em>. (n.d.). Retrieved from https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ReeCreeations\/<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Reecreeations: Official merchandise<\/em>. Bonfire. (n.d.). Retrieved from https:\/\/www.bonfire.com\/store\/reecreeations\/<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ribbon skirts more than a fashion affair – seneca, Toronto, Canada<\/em>. Ribbon skirts more than a fashion affair – Seneca, Toronto, Canada. (n.d.). Retrieved from https:\/\/www.senecacollege.ca\/news-and-events\/seneca-news\/ribbon-skirts-more-than-a-fashion-affair.html<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sostre, S. R. (2021). Skirting the issue: Indigenous designer Agnes Woodward is raising Awar<\/em>. BUST. Retrieved from https:\/\/bust.com\/style\/198432-indigenous-designer-agnes-woodward.html<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Serene Weasel Traveller is a skilled seamstress and artist from the Piikani Nation. In this tutorial from the Galt Museum & Archives , she shares her knowledge and experience in making ribbon skirts and invites you to make your own!<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>References: <\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Galt Museum & Archives:<\/p>\n\n\n\n