Kokum History

About 150,000 Ukrainians came to Canada in the 1890s through the 1910s with many settling in the prairies in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta — the homelands of the Plains First Nations and Métis peoples.

During hardship and famine Ukrainians and Indigenous people would help each other. It was because of this trade, commerce, and cooperation that floral scarves became a symbol of the strength and hard work between matriarchs.