‘Sisterhood’: Ribbon skirt library provides community for Indigenous women in Sask.

When a handful of Indigenous youth came up to Claire Tuckanow to compliment her ribbon skirt and shared wishes of wanting their own, a spark was started.

Tuckanow, a Métis-Cree woman from the Okanese First Nation, is the building safer communities coordinator with Growing Young Movers (GYM).

GYM is a nonprofit organization at Regina’s mâmawêyatitân centre which provides mentorship, recreation, learning and employment opportunities for youth.

Jan. 4 is National Ribbon Skirt Day every year, and GYM is currently working on a ribbon skirt library.

“What we’re visioning the ribbon skirt library to be is a safe space where young women and two spirit people in the program are creating these pieces of garments,” she said.

“We want young people to have access to cultural pieces such as ribbon skirts. And we want to expand to ribbon shirts as well. Where they can feel that they can borrow a skirt and then wear it to any ceremonies.”

Some of the women and girls in the ribbon skirt library program. (Claire Tuckanow/submitted)

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Tuckanow said ribbon skirts hold a significant meaning in Indigenous culture, especially for Indigenous women.

“I feel very powerful when I put on a ribbon skirt,” she said. “I’m able to take up spaces that aren’t necessarily ceremony. And I can feel beautiful. I can feel graceful.

“I also feel empowered because for many generations our women, we weren’t allowed to wear our cultural wear such as ribbon skirts. So it’s also, again, reclaiming that piece back.”

Claire Tuckanow said the feeling of being with the youth and teaching them how to set a ribbon skirt brought her back to times with her kokum. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

She wants to pass this feeling on to others, especially youth.

Working in the North Central neighbourhood in Regina, Tuckanow says she sees a disconnect between the youth and culture.

“To me, this is more than just ribbons, this is just a start of something for them to take with them on their journey,” she said.

It took some work to get the program off the ground, but the spark quickly ignited into a large flame.

Tuckanow found another organization who provided ribbon skirt making kits, the public library attached to the school provided the sewing machines, and an Indigenous advocate who knew how to sew got on board.

A handful of young Indigenous women were also eager to get their hands on a machine and learn the important skill.

“When we brought in all these beautiful ribbon skirt kits, the girls were just all excited,” Tuckanow said with a smile. “They’re like, ‘Oh my God, look at that print. I want that print.'”

Tuckanow says it’s important for urban Indigenous youth to connect with their culture. (Claire Tuckanow/submitted)

The group spent three days together learning how to sew, but it also provided the women with a safe space to be themselves and have fun.

“I just remember feeling so proud and like so heartwarming, because when you were in that space, it took me back from when I was just a young girl at my kokum’s house and she’s sewing,” she said.

“It just made you feel that nostalgic feeling of just like this is matriarchal, but this is also like sisterhood.”

Tuckanow said it’s important to provide urban Indigenous youth with community and connection to their culture, because often times they don’t have access to it.

“They really created that space to to be creative, to laugh, to be themselves,” she said. “All I could think of was just how our ancestors would just be looking at us and just like, ‘Yeah, you guys are doing it! You’re continuing it!’ And to me, that’s something very special.”

According to Tuckanow, different colours and patterns can assign different meanings to a ribbon skirt. (Claire Tuckanow/submitted)

The program was awarded a grant in December. It hopes to open the ribbon skirt library in the next few months.

Tuckanow said the plan is to have the youth at the forefront.

“We need to bring in our young people to listen to them first, because they just have so much knowledge on what to do,” she said. “So I’m really grateful that these young people are really taking the lead.”

Tuckanow said the ribbon skirts — and eventually ribbon shirts — will be available to students at the school and hopefully one day the public. The goal is to make ribbon skirts accessible to those that need them.

When the library is ready, Tuckanow plans a big grand opening.

“We want to — no pun intended — cut the ribbon,” she said with a laugh.

“I’m visioning it like our ribbon skirt library is there. And then we have these young people, and we do want to make it big because it’s special, we want them to to know that they accomplished this, and they should feel proud.”

The sewing takes place at the mâmawêyatitân centre Regina Public Library attatched to the Scott Collegiate high school. (Claire Tuckanow/submitted)

How National Ribbon Skirt Day started

The first National Ribbon Skirt Day was in 2023. The story behind the day started right here in Saskatchewan.

In 2020, then 10-year-old Isabella Kulak went to her school in Kamsack wearing a traditional ribbon skirt, only to be told her outfit was inappropriate for a formal day. Kulak went home that day feeling ashamed and disgraced for wearing her traditional skirt.

A ribbon skirt is traditionally worn at Indigenous ceremonies by women, and when seated the skirt represents a closeness to the ground and relationship with nature.

The Kulak family, which is part of the Cote First Nation, reached out to the chief and decided to start a positive movement after Isabella’s negative experience. They started working with the local school division to acknowledge the importance of cultural attire and the traditions around ribbon skirts.

Support for Isabella quickly grew into a national movement. The support for the event eventually led to the passing of Bill S-219, which marks Jan. 4 as National Ribbon Skirt Day across Canada.