Sash, Union nationale metisse Saint-Joseph du Manitoba with Two Other Sashes (01)

Title:	Sash, Union nationale metisse Saint-Joseph du Manitoba with Two Other Sashes (01)
Creator:	Gabriel Dumont Institute
Subject:	Union nationale metisse Saint-Joseph du Manitoba, Sash
Description:	Union nationale metisse Saint-Joseph du Manitoba sash flanked by two other sashes. The Union nationale metisse Saint-Joseph du Manitoba (UNMSJM) Official Arrowhead sash This alpaca wool sash was woven on a loom. Its design and colours reflect the legacy of the Voyageurs and the Medicine Wheel of the First Nations’ spirituality. The narrow blue borders on each side represent the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, which frame in unity the great Métis nation across the land. The adjacent white thunderbolts represent the North with the buffalo as a totem, a symbol of respect. The large yellow arrowhead section in the centre represents western Canada’s golden wheat while the green thunderbolts bring to mind the West’s fertile lands. The colour yellow is the East of the medicine wheel, i.e. the rising sun. This direction is traditionally that of the eagle, a symbol of love. The predominant red thunderbolts on either side of the yellow stripe symbolize the Métis of Red River (the heart of the Métis nation) and the blood they spilled as they defended their rights. Red corresponds to the West of the wheel, which has the bear as a totem, a symbol of courage. Black arrowheads slashing across the red symbolize the dark times endured by the Métis, followed by the marked resurgence of their pride today. Black corresponds to the South for which the animal is the coyote, a symbol of leadership. Practically undetectable, the blue warp thread unifies the whole and reflects both the incomparable blue of Manitoba’s skies and its abundant lakes. Finally, sewn at one end of the sash is a white patch. It bears the UNMSJM emblem, i.e. two flags with crossed staves. The first is the official UNMSJM flag displaying three fleur-de-lys and the Union Jack, the latter a symbol of the unfailing loyalty of the Métis of the time to the Crown. The other is the original flag (red infinity) the Hudson’s Bay Company gave to the Red River Métis, subsequently adopted by the UNMSJM as its hunting standard. The arrowhead sash was unveiled to the public as the Union nationale Métisse Saint-Joseph du Manitoba’s launches its 120th anniversary year. The celebrations ran from July 17, 2007 to July 17, 2008.
Publisher:	Gabriel Dumont Institute
Type:	Image
Date of Copyright:	April 15, 2009
GDI Media Filename:	3922 [1024x768].jpg

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