Rethreading Relations: The Kokum Scarf as a Call to Action for Building Good Relations

When Ukrainian settlers arrived in what is currently called Canada in the late 19th century, they brought with them cultural traditions, including a brightly coloured, floral-patterned scarf. As they settled on Indigenous lands, cross-cultural relationships developed through trade, reciprocity, and shared survival, leading to the gifting and exchange of these scarves with Indigenous communities. Over time, this item became known in Indigenous communities as the Kokum Scarf, taking on new meanings within Indigenous culture and identity. Most recently, in February 2022, the scarf emerged as a symbol of Indigenous solidarity with Ukrainians during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Using Indigenous research methodologies based in relationality, this paper draws on interviews with three women, Ukrainian, Indigenous, and both, to explore the histories, meanings, and transformations of the Kokum Scarf. By centring lived experiences and oral histories, we contextualize the scarf’s role in past and present Indigenous-Ukrainian relations and examine its potential as a lens for decolonization, allyship, solidarity and reconciliation. Through these stories, we consider how the Kokum Scarf can inform new possibilities for rebuilding meaningful and reciprocal Indigenous-settler relationships.