Wearing ofa:sah for Onkwehon:we women is not merely about attire but about the transformation of the ordinary into the extraordinary. It is a celebration of the sacred, a dance of renewal and an ode to the eternal rhythm of existence. Wearing a skirt becomes not just an act of adornment but a ritual of grounding, a silent homage to the cyclical nature of creation. The skirt serves as conduit transferring energy from our mother earth to our sacred passageway.  Our Sky woman, Otsitsison who created the earth with earth from the ocean’s bottom, roots women deeply into the earth’s strata.

When a woman wears a skirt, she channels mother earths powerful currents up to her scared door and it enhances the gravitational tug to her uterus that releases the coagulated blood on her uterine wall to be released back to the earth. It brings her renewal and invigorates her well-being. When a woman walks in her skirt, she moves different and is treated different from her male counterparts. The flowing lines of a skirt mimic the gentle curves of rivers and the undulating waves of the sea, embodying the natural rhythm of life. This sacred garment carries the essence of the ancestors, whispering their wisdom with each step and binding the wearer to an ancient lineage. It is a living testament to the interconnectedness of all things, a weave of energy that envelops the wearer in both history and spiritual connection.

In ceremonies and celebrations, the skirt often transforms into a canvas of expression, adorned with intricate patterns and vibrant colours that tell stories of our clans and identity. Each fold and pleat become a sacred letter in the language of tradition, conveying resilience, beauty, and a connection to the sacred. Beyond the spiritual, the skirt symbolizes the complexity of womanhood—a dance between strength and grace, power and vulnerability, inviting the wearer to embody the wisdom of both earth and spirit.

The custom of crafting skirts, too, holds a sacred significance, as hands guided by ancestral memory weave, stitch, bead and shape the fabric into forms that resonate with the rhythms of mother nature. This creation process is an intimate prayer between the maker and the material, a conscious act of imbuing the garment with intention and vitality. Worn with reverence, the skirt becomes more than clothing; it is a vessel of empowerment, aligning the wearer with the heartbeat of the earth and the eternal dance of life.

This timeless tradition of skirt-wearing also embodies the intrinsic harmony between nature and human creativity. The skirt becomes an emblem of fluidity, allowing the wearer to embrace life’s inevitable currents with grace and adaptability.

It connects our Onkwehon:we women across generations, serving as a thread that binds the past with the present, a shared tapestry of resilience and expression.

Every ofa:sah tells a unique story—of love, strength, culture, and belonging. Through the mud or a fashion runway, Oh how I love being in the company of my skirt wearing indigenous sisters.

Written by Wakerahkatste (Louise McDonald Herne) during Ohero:kon Fasting Week Ceremony May 2025

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