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Analysis Of Sylvia Olsen's Working With Wool

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More than a fashion statement, the Cowichan sweater is depicted as a Canadian icon with an influential political history in Sylvia Olsen’s book, Working with Wool. The Cowichan sweater is a traditional Indigenous product knitted by several Coast Salish bands throughout Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia. However, the main producer of the sweater is the Cowichan Nation located near Duncan, B.C. Each sweater is unique due to its design, wool-thickness, size, and shape, yet all the products share many of the same characteristics. The Cowichan sweater is known for its distinct features including the use of natural undyed wool, horizontal bands of patterns, and lack of seams. Working with Wool is substantial as it is the first …show more content…

The non-Indigenous author married a Coast Salish man at the age of seventeen and moved to the Tsartlip First Nation reserve, located north of Victoria, B.C. Dwelling on the reservation for thirty-four years, Olsen learned to spin and knit from watching her mother-in-law. Eventually, Olsen turned her interest into a business when she established Mount Newton Indian Sweaters, a retail store which sold other knitters’ sweaters. On her twelve years of owning the shop, Olsen states: ‘…I spent countless hours talking to knitters, listening to their stories, sharing their frustrations….Their ingenuity inspired me to write this …show more content…

Although Olsen lived with Indigenous people, she still claims to have no particular expertise on knitting or Indigenous life. Yet, there has been a new trend in non-fiction writing on Indigenous topics to include Indigenous voices. This phenomena can be observed with non-Indigenous written books, such as Catherine C. Robbins’ All Indians Do Not Live in Teepees (or Casinos) (2011) or Martine J. Reid’s Bill Reid and the Haida Canoes (2010). Using Indigenous voices allows for different perspectives to prevail in the narrative. By employing knitters’ quotes, Olsen is honouring the creators behind the famous

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