Etchiboy – Louis Riel Fire Bag Sack

Story is at the heart of Étchiboy - the proud story of the Métis nation. Miguel Vielfaure, a trilingual Manitoba Métis with a Masters in Métis Studies, is first and foremost a storyteller. In the early 2000s, he was telling legends in full historical costume, but he couldn't find a commercially available sash that was historically accurate. Frustrated with his machine-made polyester sash, Miguel longed for a beautiful wool sash made on a loom, just like the ones his ancestors had. On a trip to Peru in 2006, he saw that the indigenous peoples there also had a tradition of wearing wool sashes with different designs. It was at that point that he had the idea of creating a textile company. It would be a partnership between Indigenous Peoples - Métis in Canada and Quechua in Peru. Miguel approached a cooperative of single mothers who wove intricate, colourful textiles in Peru to see if they would be interested in making historical Métis designs on their looms. Miguel was enchanted with the first sashes and that's when Étchiboy (which means "Hey little boy" in Mitchif) was born.

Since 2007, Étchiboy has been clothing the Métis Nation in high quality, handmade, direct trade Indigenous textiles. Over the last 15 years, the company has helped over 25 single mothers in Peru create a better life for their families through their craft. Miguel is considered on of the top experts in the history of the Métis sash and won an award in 2016 for Entrepreneurship with the Lauriers de la PME.  He continues to grow Étchiboy, much to the delight of his customers from across the globe who can't get enough of the 1000s of high-quality products available through his online store. You can find Étchiboy products in museums, Métis institutions and in pop-up stores at festivals across Canada. If you happen to meet Miguel at a festival or conference, he'll be happy to talk your ear off about Métis history and culture or dance a little gig with the fringes of his sash dancing along with him.