Quick Métis sash history.
Started with the French bringing wool from Europe combine with the weaving techniques of the First-Nations.
Then the Voyageur or Coureurs de Bois were meeting up with First Nations communities to trade for furs.
The Voyageur were wearing generally red sash made on looms from Europe. These sashes were in high demand from the First-Nations. The more colour a sash had the more value it could have. Many women in the region of l’Assomption started a cottage industry making colourful finger woven sashes for the fur trade companies like the Hudson’s Bay Company and the North-West Company.
In the 1850’s the Hudson Bay Company started making there sashes on Jacquard looms near Coventry England.
In the early 1900’s the sash industry collapse due to lack of demand.
In 1955, sashes started being made for the Carnaval de Québec on an industrial loom. This was basically the only commercial sash that could be bought in bulk for 60 years.
In 2007 Étchiboy started making hand loomed historical sashes.
Today, everything is evolving so quickly, people are making sashes for their groups, families, weddings or just to be unique and proud.