With a history spanning more than 350 years, the iconic Hudson’s Bay point blanket carries many layers of meaning in Canadian culture. It can be seen as an essential trade item, a symbol of colonialism and disease, and an emblem of Canada’s rich heritage. This space unpacks the many complex relationships the blanket has held in our lives through art, history, and commerce.Find out :throwblankets.ca

When the HBC first set up trading posts in Canada in the 1700s, blankets were a popular trade item and commodity. Indigenous Peoples and fur traders fashioned blankets into coats, robes, and other garments that kept them warm in the harsh winters of northern climates. Indigenous artists have since embraced the blanket as a cultural symbol of survival, identity, and resistance.

The Most Comfortable Blankets You Can Find in Canada

Aside from being used as bedding, HBC Point blankets were often fashioned into clothing such as mittens, leggings, socks, hats, moccasin liners, and more. Indigenous Peoples also used the blankets as gifts during potlatch ceremonies and as entitlements in treaties.

Most commonly, point blankets were transformed into a type of wrap coat called a capote, which was worn by Indigenous and Metis people, French and British settlers, and traders throughout the fur trade era in central and eastern Canada. A tailor was hired at most HBC post towns to construct the capotes, which were made from a combination of point blankets and other materials.

The most common colours for point blankets were white with bars of red, indigo or blue. Some believe that these colours were chosen for their symbolic associations with different Indigenous cultures and communities, such as the directions of wind or the medicine wheel. However, other research suggests that these colour choices were simply a reflection of regional preference and availability at the various trading posts.