Documentary film on Cowichan sweaters explores traditional garment's legacy

Award-winning writer and director Mary Galloway has partnered with A Knitted Legacy Films Inc. to document the tradition of knitting Cowichan sweaters.

The Cowichan Sweater, Our Knitted Legacy is available to stream now on CBC Gem.

"The Cowichan sweater is a knitted garment that is made of raw sheep's wool and knitted into a sweater in different patterns, depending on which knitter has made it," said Galloway.

"They've been a part of our culture and our history for over 100 years. They are really beautiful hand-knit sweaters, but a lot of people don't know what they are and where they come from, so this documentary will teach people about them."

The film explores the history of the sweaters in the Cowichan and Saanich territories on Vancouver Island and the traditional knitters from these communities.

Several of the all-Indigenous crew had ancestral ties to the communities, but Galloway had a special journey she was also taking during the filming.

Her late grandfather, Chief Dennis Alphonse, often wore a Cowichan sweater.

"This is a really personal story too, because I have a lot of photographs of my late grandfather," she said. "He was on chief and council for over 40 years in our nation, and a lot of the photos I have he's wearing this Cowichan sweater."

The 33-year-old Indigenous filmmaker and the crew spent 15 days interviewing members from the communities — some of which are still spinning wool and knitting these garments today.

"We've always been weavers in the Salish territory, and it evolved into knitting," said Galloway.

"This documentary will teach people about (the weavers) and about this history of the sweaters. They each are very unique and no two sweaters are alike, and that's the beauty of them. They're genuinely works of art.

"They're such a master craft that these knitters have been able to perfect over the years and pass on from generation to generation. They keep you warm and they will last for 100 years if you take care of them."

The crew was able to interview 20 community expert knitters.

Producer Tiffany Joseph, who is also from the area, explained how the crew were welcomed into each of the community member's homes.