The Riverside Jigging Club Clothing

Here is a beaded version of our logo. Our logo is designed after Metis Flower Beadwork (For more information and the

history please view The Jigging Club Logo). Below is the logo we designed that we use on clothing and to advertise.

This was our first outfit for the jigging club. The colours in this outfit are the Riverside Colours, Green and Gold. We

wanted our first outfit to be a set that paid tribute to our school.

The shirt is called a peasants blouse. The sleeves are banded around the cuff to create a flared or ‘puffy’ look. This

feature of the shirt dates back to the fur trade, only shirts back then had puffy shoulders with long sleeves. Having

ribbons on girls shirts is a relatively modern adaption. Men in the fur trade were gifted a male version of the peasants

blouse, and the wives of the fur traders often banded them in horizontal ribbons.

The skirt is a simple V pattern coming up to the knees on the students. Inside the skirt is crinoline. The crinoline adds

body to the skirt. As you see the dancers perform watch for the way the dress moves and sways as the lady is swung, or

as she turns. The crinoline increases this effect.

The loose flowing ribbons on the skirt and top can mean several things, depending on one’s culture. In Metis culture the

flowing ribbons date back to the fur trade when Metis fur traders were known for decorating all aspects of their dress.

They were known for having beadwork prominently displayed on their vests and jackets and on their moccasins. They

even had beadwork on their hats (usually pill box hats), of which also may have featured some loose flowing ribbons on

top.In First Nations tradition ribbons that flow represent prayers flowing in the wind. Watch the ribbons bounce and

flow while they perform and you will see the magic behind that symbolism.

This is the red, orange and yellow girls outfit. The colours were chosen to evoke the feeling of fire. This is one of the sets

that feature a beaded belt. Beaded belts have a long history as an item for Metis woman. Back in the fur trade these

belts were often fashioned out of leather and ornately designed with flowers, stems, and leaves. We chose to make our

belts out of velvet, another important trade item, and was often a sign of status due to the prohibitive cost and the

rarity of velvet in the trade market (velvet was highly sought after in French fashion, so was rarely transported across

seas to North America).

Below are close-ups of the band of ribbons and the flower beadwork.

This is the boys version of the fire themed outfit. The main features of this outfit are the hallmark red sash that is

considered the official symbol of the Metis nation, and a sash themed tie. Please enjoy close up images of both. In the

design can you see the arrow points?

This is a blue and purple set of clothing. The colours in this outfit are more tranquil and calm. The features of this outfit

are similar to the red set horizontal bands of ribbon, and a beaded belt made of velvet.

This is an example of a set of boys clothing. Their shirts are also ribbon shirts, but instead of a skirt they wear dress

pants. Often outfits such as this were worn at large community gatherings (weddings, celebrations, holidays, etc.) and

men would wear their best clothes. This is a tradition that most square dancers and jiggers keep today.

The sash in this costume is a lesser common sash. The prominent colours in this sash are blue and black. Colours on the

sash can mean things (blue=spirit, sky, water, black= hard time, green = forest and growth of the Metis nation, yellow =

sunlight, red = the hunt, white = creator and earth). This sash has a lot of black, so may be a sash that refers to hardship.

We chose this sash because the colours green and gold did not look nice against other sash versions. Rather than

choosing this sash for its symbolism, we chose it for its aesthetics.

One of the important features of this outfit is that it is the only outfit to prominently feature our logo on the sash.

To match each set of outfits we also have brooms adorned with the colours of the three sets of outfits. Brooms are used

in the broom dance, a traditional dance done to the tune of the Red River Jig. There are two main parts, just like in the

Red River Jig. The first part is a sweeping action in which the dancer pretends they are sweeping. The second part is

when the dancer makes an infinity symbol as rotate the broom around each of their legs (watch the SUNTEP grad video

to see an example of this). Below is the Metis flag, featuring the infinity symbol.

Here are some examples of our moccasins. We have purchased enough moccasins over the years to ensure that we have

enough moccasins for all children. Our club can have up to 80 children at certain points in the school year, so this is a

huge accomplishment.

Sometimes our seniors dance in tap shoes. We had a massive donation from the Performing arts warehouse in the 2015-

2016 season and have enough taps for each child.

When we wear our taps we are working on the skill of tapping in rhythm with each other to create a thunderous effect.

These are sashes that are laid on the floor in the shape of a cross. In the sash dance we use our sashes as a feature of

the dance. The sash dance is modelled after Celtic sword dancing. The dancer shows how quick and skilled they are by

avoiding contact between their feet and the sash. They also move around the sash in the four directions.

We would like to thank you for taking an interest in our outfits!

Most of our outfits are made by volunteers who spend countless hours sewing, cutting, and beading.

We would like to thank the following people and organizations who have had a huge hand in the making of our outfits:

Tana Ross

Gail Black

Bonny Johnson

Troy Parenteau

Saskatchewan Arts Board

Government of Saskatchewan

Sask Culture

Saskatchewan Lotteries

Northern Lights Community Development Corporation

Performing Arts Warehouse