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The fur trade influenced the historical development of Canada in a number of ways including: the development and expansion into western and northern Canada; the significance of Canadian place names; the origin and rise of the Métis Nation; the impact of interaction between the First Peoples and the Europeans-and these connections can be found in personal and commercial stories about the people and events of the fur trade.
Hand-woven Assomption sash or ceinture flêchée of fine worsted wool with a long fringe. Design is in a traditional arrow or lightning bolt motif. One of the major sites for the production of the hand-woven sashes was in L’Assomption, Quebec.
A popular trade item, machine-manufactured versions using coarser woollen yarns were produced in England and called Manchester sashes.
Did
You Know?
The original ownership of this sash is attributed to Jean-Baptiste Lagimodière. He travelled west about 1800 from Trois Rivières, Quebec, later bringing out his new wife, Marie-Anne Gaboury. Lagimodière worked as a trapper and trader in the Red River Colony and in the Fort Edmonton area.
At one point, he travelled 3000 km in five months with despatches from Red River to the Hudson’s Bay Company headquarters in Montreal. En route back to the Colony, he was captured by the North West Company and imprisoned for 56 days at Fort William. After his release, he was given a land grant across from Upper Fort Garry.
The Assomption sash was highly valued by Métis voyageurs and traders for its attractive appearance and for its practicality. It was not only used as a belt, but also served as an emergency harness, rope, tumpline or even a horse bridle.
Today, the sash is an enduring symbol of Métis identity and achievement. It is awarded to outstanding members of the Manitoba community by the organization known as “The Order of the Sash.” |
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