Episode 293: Mary Galloway’s cinematic love letter to the Cowichan sweater

The YVR Screen Scene Podcast

Even if you don’t recognize the Cowichan sweater by its name, you will absolutely recognize it on sight: the thick yarn; the distinctive patterns; the warmth of the raw sheep’s wool. But a Cowichan sweater is more than just a sweater, especially for the Coast Salish people from the Cowichan Tribes who make them. It’s a provider of life, literally, as a way to put food on the table; it’s a way to build community and share stories and connect to ancestors. To quote Ron Rice of the Victoria Native Friendship Centre as featured in filmmaker Mary Galloway’s documentary The Cowichan Sweater: Our Knitted Legacy, “Cowichan sweaters are iconic. Cowichan sweaters are our path forward in so many different ways. Cowichan sweaters are a look back and a look forward all at the same time.” Writer, director, filmmaker, and actor Mary Galloway hails from Coast Salish Territory, and her beautiful film brings viewers into the past, present, and future of the Cowichan sweater while taking us along on a deeply personal quest: to recreate a sweater that was worn by her late grandfather, Chief Dennis Alphonse, who was chief for 40 years. The Cowichan Sweater: Our Knitted Legacy is now available on CBC Gem and will have its first national television broadcast on December 23. In this fascinating and revealing conversation with Sabrina Rani Furminger, Mary reflects on her journey into this important part of her own legacy. Episode sponsor: UBCP/ACTRA