Kakwa | Riceton, SK

Kathleen & Jeff Coleclough, both of Ojibwa descent, started Kakwa Crafts in 1993.  The traditional native adornment for which Kakwa has become widely known is the result of painstaking research and ancient techniques, which result in art pieces combining heritage, history, and beauty.

The historic accuracy of Kakwa’s work is so complete that they have been requested by the Royal SK Museum; Glenbow Museum: Peel Heritage Complex; SERM; Parks Canada: Canadian Museum of History; Dept. of Anthropology – University of Toronto; the Royal Naval Museum in Portsmouth, England; and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C. and New York City to not only recreate artifacts for teaching purposes, but to also provide information on items requiring historic research.  With over 100 museums, historic sites, and schools using Kakwa’s services, their Aboriginal Resource Kit has curriculum approval from the Dept. of Education in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba.  In addition to providing artifact replicas for numerous educational programs, Kakwa has been commissioned to repair genuine artifacts and to teach cultural information to the volunteer staff at Fort Calgary; Royal SK Museum; and Heritage Park Historical Village.

Kakwa has provided props, set decoration, technical consulting, and wardrobe items for over 30 movie and TV productions to date.  Including: “Lonesome Dove”; “Shanghai Noon”; “Crossfire Trail”; “Open Range”, “Dream Keeper”; “Legend Hunters”; “Little House On The Prairie”; “Into The West”; “The Revenant”; and “Lewis & Clark”.