The Story of the Coast Salish Knitters

200052 min 3 secFilm: Documentary

G

Direction: Christine Welsh

Production: Christine Welsh (Prairie Girl Films)Colleen CraigGillian Darling Kovanic (National Film Board of Canada)Ian HerringGraydon McCrea

Script: Christine Welsh

An NFB/Prairie Girl Films Inc. co-production with the participation of Canadian Television Fund, Telefilm Canada, Film Incentive B.C., the Canadian Film/Video Tax Credits, CTV, Vancouver Television, WTN, Knowledge Network, SCN, TVNC/APTN and CFCN.

For almost a century, the Coast Salish knitters of southern Vancouver Island have produced Cowichan sweaters from handspun wool. These distinctive sweaters are known and loved around the world, but the Indigenous women who make them remain largely invisible. Combining rare archival footage with the voices of three generations of woolworkers, The Story of the Coast Salish Knitters tells the tale of unsung heroines--resourceful women who knit to put food on the table and keep their families alive. Written and directed by Métis filmmaker Christine Welsh, this is a story of courage and cultural transformation--a celebration of the threads that connect the past to the future.

Subject categories


  • Women > Arts, Crafts and PerformanceCultural GroupsWorking Mothers
  • Indigenous Peoples in Canada (First Nations and Métis) > British ColumbiaCraftsWomen
  • Indigenous Studies > Arts
  • Family Studies/Home Economics > Consumer Awareness
  • Social Studies > Economics
  • Geography > Territory: Indigenous

Credits


writer
Christine Welsh
director
Christine Welsh
producer
Christine Welsh
Colleen Craig
Gillian Darling Kovanic
executive producer
Ian Herring
Graydon McCrea
original story concept
Sylvia Olsen
research
Sylvia Olsen
director of photography
Randy Woolgar
editor
Barton Hewett
location sound
Barton Hewett
original music
Bruce Ruddell
traditional music
Gus Joe
Mary Ellen Joe
music producer
Paul Brosseau
music recording
Paul Brosseau
audio post-production
Tony Moskal
Kirby Walker
online editor
Steve Brooks
on-line facility
Star Film & Video Inc.
production manager
Sher Morgan
post supervisor
Sher Morgan
production co-ordinator
Colleen Craig
consultant
Delmar Johnnie
archival film research
Sher Morgan
title sequence
Acumen Art Services
photo album sequence
Judy Somers
additional photography
David Malysheff
grip
Sherry Antonishen
gaffer
Sherry Antonishen
stills photography
Colleen Toohy
Cathie Ferguson
additional stills research
Krista Pollard
production accounting
Andrea Droege
Frances O'Donovan
transcription
Lori Isaac
associate producer
Colleen Craig