The Connection Between Two Cultures
At MINI TIPI, two important parts of our mission is to share the stories that are part of a culture and build bridges between people. When we learned the story behind the Kokum scarf, we saw a way to honour two different cultures at once, while also delivering our signature work: storytelling.
Follow along to learn the beautiful story behind MINI TIPI’s new blanket: KOKUM.
« KOKUM is a tribute to unity, allyship, resilience, and reconciliation — a reminder that meaningful connections can be woven across cultures, generations, and communities. » - Trisha Pitura.
Discovering the KOKUM design: A Story Rooted in History and Personal Truth
The Ukrainian and Cree cultures met in the prairies when the East Slavs settled in Canada in the 1890s, and as they did, they brought with them cultural traditions and items such as a colourful and floral type of scarf they call Khustka.
The Ukrainian-Cree Connection: History of the Kokum Scarf
The relationship between the Cree and Ukrainian people was heavily based on trade and helping each other survive, notably the harsh Canadian winters. This reciprocity created a deep bond rooted in gratitude, which led to the gifting and exchange of the scarves from the Ukrainian women to the Cree Elders, the grandmothers - A story that inspired the indigenous name for these scarves: Kokum, which means grandmother in the Cree language.
Designing The Blanket That Honours Both Cultures
Trisha has been reconnecting with her indigenous roots through MINI TIPI’s design for 10 years now. KOKUM holds deep personal meaning to her and represents a part of her heritage, honouring her Ukrainian grandfather on her father’s side.
Every Thread Carries Meaning
Beyond the design of the blanket, its bright colours and floral pattern, Trisha wanted to make sure to represent what the scarf and its story mean, as well as the place it took in different communities during all these years. She chose to incorporate woodland florals and berries into the Kokum design to represent Indigenous cultures and highlight the historical relationships built between Indigenous peoples and Ukrainian settlers.
The design specifically features strawberries, known as the heart berry, which represent love and compassion. Adding them to the design symbolizes the compassion involved in building relationships with Ukrainian settlers and helping them live on the land.
The florals represent cultural identity through traditional artwork and beading. These florals help preserve cultural identity and a connection across generations.
Another symbol included is the woodland flowers, which all have their own significance and can be used for different purposes, one of them being medicine, often with the plant called the vine of life, for example. Woodland flowers are also used by a lot of communities in creating artwork, especially beadwork.
Adding those symbols was our way to show that the Kokum scarf grows within the communities and its meaning becomes deeper every time it is worn or shared.
Why KOKUM Perfectly Reflects MINI TIPI
At MINI TIPI, it is our mission to collaborate and build bridges between Indigenous and non-indigenous people, but also between cultures. With KOKUM, we wanted to honour this mission once more and make sure to keep the legacy going for the next generations.
The campaign was meant to represent all of that. The friendship, the community between cultures and generations. That’s why we wanted to have Cree and Ukrainian representation.
We also included Trisha’s youngest daughter for generational representation and keeping the legacy going.
We are happy to introduce KOKUM and all its deep meanings; we hope you all can find a way to share it.
