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Expanding the narrative
This is part of a broader conversation about whose history is being told, about gender, people of colour and the economically disenfranchised, and others whose stories have been overlooked or intentionally omitted from the authorized discussion.
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Intangible heritage
Intangible cultural heritage includes language, traditions, music, food, special skills, etc.
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The Métis sash
Métis youth leader Katelyn LaCroix was recently asked what being Métis meant to her. She replied that “like the sash, we are two cultures coming together to create something new and beautiful and useful.” This comparison is as apt as it is poetic because the sash is such an essential ingredient to our Métis heritage and culture.
Like the Métis themselves, the sash arose out of the fur trade and the daily lives of our voyageur ancestors. Combining First Nations finger-weaving techniques with European wool, brightly coloured sashes were first worn by voyageurs for practical purposes. They provided back support, could be used as ropes, tumplines, towels, bridles and for assorted other purposes. Eventually, they became a badge of occupation and Métis voyageurs in particular embraced its use and began wearing them for ceremonial purposes. Over time, it became known as the “Métis sash.”
Today, the sash remains one of the greatest symbols of the Métis Nation. It is worn proudly both around the waist and over the shoulder and is embraced by youth like Katelyn as well as our elders and is worn at meetings, formal occasions and celebrations all across our homeland. With it, we proclaim, “We are Métis.”
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- Black heritage
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On a calm, clear Saturday in September 2013, 1,760 Huron-Wendat ancestors were reburied at a secluded and peaceful meadow. Prior to the 17th century, the...
![Ken’niiohontéhsa (strawberries) (Photo: Ryan DeCaire, Wáhta Mohawk Territory)](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/DeCaire-4-web.jpg)
- 12 Oct 2012
- Indigenous heritage
Food - Author: Ryan DeCaire,
Understanding indigenous agricultural systems
Throughout a long history, indigenous peoples – with their rich cultural diversities and complexities – have continued to live in a way that works to...
![Reconstructed longhouse and palisade at the Lawson site](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Pearce-Longhouse_in_fog_colour_photo-web.jpg)
- 11 Feb 2010
- Indigenous heritage
Archaeology - Author: Robert Pearce,
The archaeology of southwestern Ontario
Southwestern Ontario has an extremely rich and diverse cultural history dating back 11,000 years. We can follow human history and settlement through archaeology in this...
![Aerial view of the northern tip of Walpole Island First Nation looking southwest along the St. Clair River (Photo: Karen Abel)](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Jacobs-001-WIFN-Aerial-by-Karen-Abel-2004-web.jpg)
- 11 Feb 2010
- Indigenous heritage
Natural heritage - Author: Clint Jacobs,
Bkejwanong: Sustaining a 6,000-year-old conservation legacy
Nestled at the mouth of the St. Clair River on Lake St. Clair in southwestern Ontario is the Walpole Island First Nation or “Bkejwanong,” meaning...
![Ste-Anne-des-Pins, Sudbury](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Frenette-Ste-Anne-des-Pins-Sudbury-web.jpg)
- 10 Sep 2009
- Indigenous heritage
Buildings and architecture
Community - Author: Yves Frenette,
Churches of “New Ontario”
In the middle of the 19th century, northern Ontario remained much as it had been under the French regime – a region of Catholic missions...
![Interior of Assumption Church, Windsor](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Kelly-Assumption-Church-Windsor-web.jpg)
- 10 Sep 2009
- Indigenous heritage
Buildings and architecture
Francophone heritage
Community - Author: Wayne Kelly,
Ontario’s rich religious heritage
From the First People who for thousands of years conducted religious and cultural ceremonies at places they believed held spiritual significance, to subsequent arrivals who...
![Christ Church Anglican, Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/McLeod-Christ-Church-Anglican-web.jpg)
- 10 Sep 2009
- Indigenous heritage
Buildings and architecture
Community
Cultural objects - Author: Kathryn McLeod,
Christ Church and the Queen Anne Silver
Located in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory on the Bay of Quinte, Christ Church houses a silver communion service dating to 1712. This remarkable service represents an...
![The Wychwood Barns covered street is a popular weekly Saturday farmers’ market in Toronto (Photo courtesy of Ayako Kitta, du Toit Architects Limited)](https://heritage-matters.ca/uploads/Articles/Cover-Sustainability-Wychwood-Farmers-Market-web.jpg)
- 28 May 2009
- Indigenous heritage
Environment - Author: Ontario Heritage Trust,
Resources: Heritage in the new economy - Making sense of sustainability
What's on the shelf The Shield, part of the Ontario Visual Heritage Project. Over thousands of years, a select few have carved out lives for...
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- Privacy statement
- Terms of use
- © King's Printer for Ontario, 2023
- Photos © Ontario Heritage Trust, unless otherwise indicated.