Kokum scarves increase in popularity in solidarity with Ukrainians

Christine Merasty, owner of Dene Cree Designs. Source: Taylor Brock/CTV News

As Ukraine continues to be invaded by Russia, many Canadians are returning to a century-old fashion staple passed down from their grandmothers as an act of solidarity between Ukrainians and Indigenous people.

Kokum scarves have been flying off the shelf for the past couple of weeks at Dene Cree Designs in Winnipeg.

“People have been calling a lot lately to find out if we have any, and if we have a lot,” owner Christine Merasty said in an interview with CTV Winnipeg.

These Ukrainian scarves – often called kokum scarves - are a visual representation of the ties between Ukrainians and Indigenous people in Canada.

The scarves were often gifted or traded from Ukrainian newcomers to First Nations and Metis people.

Merasty says today - kokum scarves are usually used as headscarves, shawls, for ribbon skirts, and on regalia. ​

“My setsuné, she used to wear one. So I remember meeting her and she had one tied around her hair. So that is also important to me as well.”

People are turning to the kokum scarf tradition amid the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Tania Cameron is one of those people seeking out scarves – but not for herself. She has helped connect Canadians with hundreds of scarves from Ukrainian and Indigenous businesses.

"I just wanted to stand in solidarity and wear a scarf to support people in Ukraine, given that we do have a historical relationship between indigenous and Ukrainian settlers, Cameron says in an interview with CTV Winnipeg.”

Cameron bought many of the scarves from Svitoch – a Ukrainian export and import business in Winnipeg owned by Ruslan Zeleniuk.

“I am so proud," Zeleniuk said. "The Ukrainian and Indigenous people have had so much in common. We have so much of the combined families and something like that. And both of them right now is feeling like they belong to Ukraine”

Zeleniuk gets the scarves from Ukraine but does not know when they will be getting more.

Merasty is glad to see the support from Indigenous people for Ukrainians.

“It is kind of surreal that there would be a war going on right now," Merasty said. "But lots of people are finding that connection.”​