Community & Culture

Peer volunteer sews ribbon skirts for overdose awareness

August 23, 2022

Sewing the symbolic ribbon skirts for Indigenous volunteers at this year's International Overdose Awareness Day events in Kelowna

Kori Smith is the mother of two young children, and expecting her third. Born in Portage la Prairie, Man., treaty to Long Plain First Nation, she is of Ojibwe and Cree ancestry. She now lives in Kelowna.

As a member of KANDU (Knowledging All Nations and Developing Unity) and a peer advisor for Interior Health’s mental health and substance use network, Kori understands the importance of International Overdose Awareness Day.

“August 31 is an important day for me because I have family who have overdosed in the past. One who has since passed away and the other who is still addicted to drugs,” says Kori. “It is a great way to spread awareness and be there for the ones we care about and love and to remind them that they are not forgotten.” 

With support from the mental health and substance use network, Kori and her sister have sewn 10 purple ribbon skirts for Indigenous peer volunteers to wear for the Kelowna International Overdose Awareness Day events.

“I recently started ribbon skirt making by learning from my koko (grandma) Lorraine Daniels. She is a residential school survivor and is also the executive director of the National Residential School of Canada in Portage la Prairie, Man.,” explains Kori.

Learn more about the purple ribbon skirts initiative

There are many different designs and approaches when creating ribbon skirts, and also many different meanings behind them. The exact origin of ribbon work appliqué is unknown. The first recorded instance of ribbon work appliqué was on a Menominee wedding dress made in 1802.

 One of the completed ribbon skirts sewn by Kori and her sister.

One of the completed ribbon skirts sewn by Kori and her sister.

“Creating these skirts takes patience, and sometimes the designs of the skirts are visions that come to us as creators. These dresses were sewn by myself and my older sister who is also learning to sew,” says Kori. “The bright coloured ribbon skirts are a traditional piece of clothing for many Native American women and girls, as it honours our heritage and is a way to represent ourselves as well as causes, such as missing and murdered Indigenous women and children, every child matters, and various ceremonies, such as pow-wow gatherings, celebrations of life, and feasts.”

International Overdose Awareness Day community events

We will continue to add to this list as details become available.

    Kamloops
    • Aug. 26, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the All Nations Trust Company Building (outdoors) 520 Chief Eli LaRue Kamloops. Interior region 7 Nations are invited to join a day of remembrance for those lost due to the toxic drug crisis. Support each other at this stigma-free event with a focus on holistic healing. Special presenters and ceremonies. Lunch by Kekuli Café.
    • Aug. 31, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Q’wemtsin Health Society free event at Moccasin Square Gardens. Presentation from Peer Support Worker and Harm Reduction Lead Rocky Brady. Information booths, door prizes, lunch provided.
    • Aug. 31, at the Paramount Theatre in Kamloops, 7 – 9:30 p.m. Addiction Matters Kamloops presents a special one-time screening of Love in the Time of Fentanyl with an intimate panel discussion with filmmakers. Reserve your free tickets. Prizes. For every guest you bring, you have a chance to win a grand prize of a night out for two including coffee, dinner and a movie.
    Kelowna
    • Aug. 31, at Kelowna’s Kerry Park from 7 – 10 p.m. There will be live music, Naloxone training, a drug testing demonstration, videos, and a candlelight vigil. Everyone is welcome.
    • Aug. 31, at Kerry Park from 4 – 10 p.m. KANDU (Knowledging All Nations and Developing Unity) partners with Moms Stop the Harm and the Central Okanagan Community Action Team plus others to honour Indigenous people lost to overdose, on the unceded ancestral territory of the Syilx Okanagan people and Westbank First Nation. Indigenous people and communities are invited to honour lost loved ones during an open mic and can have a photo shown and name read aloud. Forward a name and photo to kanduoutreach2020@gmail.com or text 778-594-1716.
    Multiple Communities - Okanagan
    • Okanagan Nation Alliance Purple Ribbon Caravan, Aug. 29 – 30.
      • Day 1: 10 a.m. at UNB Health Office; 1:30 p.m. at LSIB Band Office.
      • Day 2: 8:30 a.m. at OIB Band Office; 11 a.m. at PIB Band Office; 1 p.m. at WFN Band Office; 3:30 p.m. at OKIB Health Office. (Times subject to change.)
    Nelson
    • Aug. 31, at Cottonwood Falls, 1 – 2 p.m. vigil and ceremony with Indigenous Elders and cultural supports. Community sharing circle with presentations and speeches. 2 – 3 p.m. education event with community service providers, resources and training with prizes. Everyone welcome. Refreshments provided.
    Peachland
    • Aug. 30, Peachland Hub Night Market 4 - 8 p.m. Naloxone training: 6:15 - 7:15 p.m.
    Penticton
    • Aug. 31, 2 - 9 p.m., at Gyro Park, 55 Main St., Penticton. Live music, food trucks, Naloxone training, drug checking, family friendly space, information booths, Indigenous ceremonies. Luminary memorial at 8 p.m.
    Princeton
    • Aug. 25, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., at Veteran’s Square. Naloxone training, drug checking and harm reduction education. Gather to talk about overdose with friends and family and memorialize those who have been lost.
    Vernon
    • Aug. 31, Community partners host a free drop-in event at the Museum & Archives of Vernon, 3009 32nd Ave. Space is limited, arrive early. Opening ceremony at 5 p.m. followed by a community meal. At 6:30 p.m., the award winning film Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy will be screened.
    Williams Lake
    • Aug. 31, 10:30 a.m. – 3 p.m., at Boitanio Park on Secwepemc Territory. Live music, open mic. Share a poem or song. Information tables and food vendors. Presented by the Williams Lake Community Action Team.

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