E'pitewei a'gwesn / Woman's cap

The origin of the unique peaked cap or hood worn by Mi'kmaq women is uncertain, although it may derive from Basque headgear brought to the east coast of North America by early traders. Today, it is a cultural signifier of the Mi'kmaq. Made of wool cloth, the caps are generally beaded in an elaborate cosmological design of double-curves. Girls traditionally received these caps as coming-of-age gifts from female relatives -- often their mothers or grandmothers