La Broquerie’s “sash guy” supplies Festival du Voyageur

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/02/2014 (4102 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Historical interpreters at Festival du Voyageur help visitors immerse themselves in Metis and Franco-Manitoban culture adourned in traditional garb, including the colourful sashes wrapped around their torso that is the most recognizable symbol of a voyageur. This year those interpreters – and many of those visitors – will be wearing a La Broquerie man’s sashes.

Festival du Voyageur ordered sashes for their interpreters that include traditional colours plus red and black for the Festival, and yellow and black for Franco-Manitoban culture.

Miguel Vielfaure started up Etchiboy in 2007 and has grown from selling 100 sashes in his first year to 5,000 last year, almost all by word-of-mouth. Vielfaure also sells over 300 other fair trade items made by Quechua Indian single mothers in Peru.

The Metis storyteller would go to schools to teach children about his culture’s history in a full 200-year-old hand-made costume. There was just one problem.

“Everything was beautiful, but I had a cheap sash. Then I went to Peru for a vacation. I went to this small Quechua town and I noticed that they had handloom sashes just like the voyageur did 150 years ago or so. A light bulb went off,” explained Vielfaure.

Anyone looking to stock up for Festival du Voyageur, which begins its 45^th anniversary nine-day celebration on Friday, can most easily find the Quechuan work at Saint-Boniface Museum, the Festival itself, or at Ste Anne’s Papillon Creations.

Etchiboy products can be found at etchiboy.com. Links to about 60 products available on EBay plus Vielfaure’s contact information for more is also available on the site, which should have an updated online store within six months.

Papillon Creations is at 133 Dawson Road on the western edge of Ste Anne. It is selling polyester and handmade wool sashes as well as jambiere, which are sort of mini sashes worn on the arm or leg. Its hours are Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday from noon-5 p.m., and Sunday from noon-4 p.m.

 

Read the full story in the Feb. 13 edition of The Carillon