USask student creates ribbon skirts for charity

During his first year of post-secondary, when University of Saskatchewan student Sawyer Kopec attended his first powwow, he felt ill-suited to participate in any of the traditions.

A Métis student from Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Kopec grew up in a small rural community with very little of his culture around him. Attending that powwow, feeling unconnected, became a major catalyst for change in Kopec.

“I didn’t feel comfortable there. There were people in my class who were connected to their culture and wearing their regalia. I didn’t have anything like that so I felt out of place,” he said.

“I don’t want people to feel that way, like there’s a barrier between them connecting to their culture. So if I can lessen that barrier in any way, that’s what I chose to do.”

Now, a fifth-year Biology Major, Kopec has started his own non-profit initiative – hand-making skirts to donate to charities, cultural organizations, and individuals who want to better connect with their culture.

He is also the Vice-President of External Affairs for the USask Métis Students Union (MSU) where he advocates for Métis students and strengthens relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities on campus.

For his dedication to community and culture, Kopec was recently awarded a USask Indigenous Achievement Award for Community Engagement.

“I never thought it would be possible,” said Kopec.

“It took me longer than it should have, but I finally feel like I’m in a place where I’m connected. Now, I want to get involved and essentially give back by helping others connect to their culture.”

Kopec’s ascension into culture can also be partly credited to the Gordon Oakes Red Bear Student Centre. When first coming from a small community to Saskatoon for school, Kopec said he had a bit of culture shock. As it was 2021, the majority of community spaces were closed. So, the Gordon Oakes Red Bear Student Centre became a place of refuge for the student.

“It was the only place on campus that as welcoming. I kept going back because they were the first ones to offer me a sense of community on campus.”

Through the student centre, and the MSU, Kopec began attending cultural workshops on practices like beading, sewing, and skirt making.