What Is a Tuque?

• A tuque is a knitted cap. The tuque is a tapered and domed- to pointy-shaped cap that sometimes has a tassel or pompom at the cap apex. Tuque hats do not have brims.
  
  

History

• The tuque evolved from a 12th-century small, round and close-fitting hat called the toque. This primarily female accessory was often made from velvet, silk and satin. The tuque is related to the Phrygian cap used in Phrygia, a region of Anatolia that is now, in modern times, the country of Turkey. Liberated slaves in Phrygia wore the cap.
  
  

The Tuque Today

• Tuques, homemade or manufactured, traditionally have been made from wool but in contemporary times can be made from synthetic fibers such as acrylic.
  
  

Canadian Iconography

• Tuques have become an icon of Canada because of the cold winters. The word tuque is the French version of toque and symbolizes Canada's French heritage, and the country's commitment to English and French bilingual inclusiveness. Tuques, in the United States, are often erroneously called "ski hats."
  
  

Famous Tuques

• French and American revolutionists used the tuque, borrowing from the icon of the liberated Phrygian slave, as a symbol of freedom. The French called the hat "bonnet de la Liberte," and the Americans called the tuque "The Liberty Cap." The tuque was later a rallying symbol for the 1837-1839 Patriotes Rebellion, in which French-speaking citizens from Quebec fought against British rule. In the 1960s, the Quebec terrorist group Front de liberation du Quebec (The Liberation Front of Quebec) used the hat as its symbol. The tuque is also part of a yearly homelessness fund-raiser in Canada run by the Raising the Roof foundation.
  
  

Famous Tuque Wearers

• The most noted tuque wearers may be Bob and Doug McKenzie of the "SCTV" comedy show. Played by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, the characters were a parody of "hosers," or the Canadian equivalent of what in the States would be called male slackers. Other famous tuque wearers are marine biologist Jacques Cousteau and singer Michael Nesmith of the Monkees.