Caption
Buster Mathews' store in the small village of Koksilah, B.C., is the only wholesale outlet of Cowichan sweaters in America. Since the Indian women knit only when they feel like it, the store is never overstocked.
Release Date
September 25, 1956
Materials
Typescript with illustrations
Photographers
Lunney, GarCollection
CMCP fonds
Credit Line
Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography fonds, National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives
Caption
Mrs. Pat Charlie has been using the same short, stout maple wood needles for over 25 years. Needles longer than 9 or 10 inches would break under the 5-pound weight of a size 40 sweater. Tightly knit, with undyed yarn, so that the natural oils are retained, Cowichan sweaters are wind and rain repellent.
Date
July 1, 1956
Accession Number
LAC-NFB77178
Materials
Black and white negative
Photographer
Enumber
e011176278
Collection
National Film Board of Canada
Credit Line
Library and Archives Canada, Mikan no. 205928
Caption
Black sheep, scorned elsewhere in the wool industry, are highly prized in the Cowichan herds for the undyed fleece is used to form the bold and distinctive designs on the popular pullovers.
Date
July 1, 1956
Accession Number
LAC-NFB77180
Materials
Black and white negative
Photographer
Enumber
e011176279
Collection
National Film Board of Canada
Credit Line
Library and Archives Canada, Mikan no. 205928
Caption
These sheep may not be aware of it but a celebrated fate awaits their fleece. Knit into weatherproof pullovers by women of the Salish Indian tribe on the Cowichan reserve, Cowichan sweaters grace the wardrobes of such famous people as Prime Minister St. Laurent, Harry Truman, Lord Alexander and Bing Crosby.
Date
July 1, 1956
Accession Number
LAC-NFB77181
Materials
Black and white negative
Photographer
Enumber
e011176280
Collection
National Film Board of Canada
Credit Line
Library and Archives Canada, Mikan no. 205928
Caption
Carding is done with a cylindrical comb on a hand-operated machine. Indian women fleece the sheep, prepare the wool and then let their imagination dictate the intricate patterns they use on pullovers.
Date
July 1, 1956
Accession Number
LAC-NFB77182
Materials
Black and white negative
Photographer
Enumber
e011176281
Collection
National Film Board of Canada
Credit Line
Library and Archives Canada, Mikan no. 205928
Caption
Parts of a discarded sewing machine are converted into a handy spinning wheel. The heavy wool must be smoothly spun and of uniform thickness, a job that calls for experienced spinners.
Date
July 1, 1956
Accession Number
LAC-NFB77183
Materials
Black and white negative
Photographer
Enumber
e011176282
Collection
National Film Board of Canada
Credit Line
Library and Archives Canada, Mikan no. 205928
Photostory # 73: Cowichan Reserve, B.C.: Fleece with a future
Photographers
Maker
National Film Board of Canada
Release Date
September 25, 1956
Collection
CMCP fonds
Credit Line
Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography fonds, National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives
Main Text
Buster Mathews' store in the small village of Koksilah, B.C., is the only wholesale outlet of Cowichan sweaters in America. Since the Indian women knit only when they feel like it, the store is never overstocked.
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