Coast Salish Knitters and the Cowichan Sweater National Historic Event
© Richard Harrington, Library and Archives Canada, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development fonds, e011307931
The Coast Salish Knitters and the Cowichan sweater were designated as a national historic event in 2011.
Historical importance: since the late 19th century, Cowichan have combined ancient wool-working technologies with knitting techniques to produce the Cowichan sweater, a durable, weatherproof garment with distinctive styling.
Commemorative plaque: Charles Hoey Park, 130 Canada Avenue, Duncan, British ColumbiaFootnote 1
The Cowichan Sweater
Over many generations Salish peoples refined methods of preparing, spinning, and weaving mountain-goat wool, dog hair, and plant fibres into yarn. Cowichan knitters used this knowledge in the late 19th century to create the Cowichan sweater, a distinctive weatherproof garment. Skills and patterns are passed along family lines, preserving a textile tradition of beauty and utility through hard work. The continuation of these joyful practices remains a source of income and an expression of community resilience in the face of colonialism. The handmade Cowichan sweater is a globally recognized symbol of this First Nation and Canada.
Quwutsun Swetu
Tu nuts’a syaay’us tu Quw’utsun Mustimuhw, ‘u kw’un’a wulh hith, nilh tu p-p’ulqun ‘i’ squxu. Ni’ thuy’tus, ni’ hwu-sthuthi’ ‘i’ ni’ sul’ut-s, so’ wutth’emutth’tus, ni hwu-swuqw’a’lh. ‘U kwus wulh tetsul tu tun takw mustimuhw ni hwu-nets’ tu sht’es kws heli-thuts tu Hwulmuhw. ‘I’ ni’ thulh ‘o’ hakwushsus tuni’ statulshuhws ‘u tu mutoulqun, to’ ne’ulh. Ni hwu ‘uy’uy’mut, tl’ehwum, lhumhwulwut swetu. Mukw’ ‘untsu ‘i ‘o’ spiputs-tum tu S-Quw’utsun’a’lh Swetu. Nilh ni’ hw-xuts-ten ‘i ‘u tun’a Thimaat Tumuhw ‘i tuna Kanat’a.
The Cowichan Sweater
Over many generations Salish peoples refined methods of preparing, spinning, and weaving mountain goat wool, dog hair, and plant fibres. Since the late 19th century, Cowichan have combined this knowledge with knitting techniques to produce the Cowichan sweater, a durable, weatherproof garment with distinctive styling. Its production contributed to this First Nation’s cultural continuity and identity. Knitting has provided a source of income for families facing the challenges of colonialism, such as the loss of traditional resources and the uncertainty of the post-colonial market economy. Working year-round and passing on skills and patterns within families and through generations, the knitters preserve a joyful textile tradition of beauty and usefulness through hard work. The Cowichan sweater has become an internationally recognized symbol of this First Nation and Canada.
© Courtesy of Museum of Anthropology at UBC, Vancouver, Canada, photographed by Derek Tan, object number 927/1
© Courtesy of Museum of Anthropology at UBC, Vancouver, Canada, photographed by Kyla Bailey, object number Nbz839
© Courtesy of Museum of Anthropology at UBC, Vancouver, Canada, photographed by Kyla Bailey, object number 1247/1
The Salish, whose homelands are located in today’s British Columbia and American Pacific Northwest, possess a long tradition of fibre preparation and weaving. Before European colonization, the textiles woven of mountain goat hair, woolly dog hair, and plant fibres were integral to everyday Salish life. Their blankets, in particular, were central to rituals and ceremonies, and were widely traded with other First Nations and used in the potlatch. In the late 19th century, Cowichan, on southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia, combined the traditional aspects of fibre preparation and spinning techniques with knitting to create the Cowichan sweater from sheep’s wool. These distinctive sweaters were crafted in households, and every member of the family was often included in part of the creation of these garments. Women and men learned how to knit from a young age. Many men took part in the process of wool preparation while the spinning and sweater design were most often the purview of women.
The Cowichan sweater became a source of income and an expression of community resilience in the face of colonialism. Throughout the decades of sweater production, Cowichan knitters did not receive remuneration in proportion to the garment’s popularity and selling price, but their earnings helped families weather the loss of land and long periods of uncertainty in a wage-driven economy. The warm, weatherproof, sturdy, and serviceable Cowichan sweater became highly marketable outside Salish society from the early 1900s to the present day. The sweater is thoroughly unique in its manner of production and styling. Its production requires special wool preparation and knitting design. Traditionally, no two sweaters are alike. Always of thick single-ply wool, and always hand knit because machines cannot duplicate the firm fabric, it is recognized as one of the world’s distinctive sweater types.
“The Cowichan Sweater is distinctly Quw’utsun. Knit in one piece, by hand, it represents generations of cultural continuity at home while showcasing expert craftsmanship abroad. For many of our families, knitting has been a financial lifeline and a powerful example of Quw’utsun entrepreneurship. This recognition honours not only the sweater itself, but the knitters and families who have sustained this tradition, even as they have had to defend their work against illegal appropriation and imitation. This event celebrates the strength, skill, and resilience woven into every stitch.”
“The Cowichan sweater reflects the creativity and living cultural traditions of the Quw’utsun Peoples. With deep roots across Quw’utsun territory, it is woven into the history of this place and remains a powerful expression of identity, skill, and connection to place. We are honoured that Charles Hoey Park has been chosen as a place to celebrate the Cowichan sweater. It will deepen learning for residents and visitors about Quw’utsun culture and understanding of how colonialism shaped and disrupted traditions in the late nineteenth century.”
This press backgrounder was prepared at the time of the plaque unveiling in 2026.
The National Program of Historical Commemoration relies on the participation of Canadians in the identification of places, events and persons of national historic significance. Any member of the public can nominate a topic for consideration by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
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