Ontario’s first pow wow of the year happened Saturday at Conestoga College’s Doon Campus in Kitchener, attracting members of indigenous communities from across the province, and the country.
There is a schedule of pow wows throughout the year, with events happening in all parts of Ontario, and throughout North American until the fall.
The newly renovated Conestoga Recreation Centre off Highway 401 was filled to capacity. Many in attendance came from Guelph and other parts of Wellington County, including First Nations, Metis and Inuit people. There were many non-natives in a crowd that numbered several hundred.
Prior to the noon hour grand entry, John Somosi, a maker of native drums from the Hanover area, tested out a drum he had finished earlier in the week. He was surprised and pleased by the quality of the sound it made. Somosi was one of many vendors at Conestoga College’s 7th Annual Pow Wow.
“This is the first pow wow of the season,” Somosi said. “There are a whole bunch of people we haven’t seen all winter, and it’s a time to see everyone and get their stories. It’s like the first visit of a big family after the long winter. We’re here to hug, laugh, and tell stories.”
He said many had traveled a long way to attend, including many who came from various parts of northern Ontario.
Elaine Garner, an Ojibwa from the North Bay area, said the pow wow is an opportunity for indigenous people to celebrate their culture, to sing their songs, and wear their colourful, intricately detailed regalia.
“It is a time to hear our drums beating, which is really like the heartbeat of Mother Earth,” she said. “That sound makes you feel so good.”
The four medicines of the culture - sage, cedar, sweet grass and natural tobacco - play a vital role in the celebration, she said. They are used for healing, for cleansing, and to give thanks to, and honour the Creator.
It is very important, she added, to share indigenous culture will everyone.
“We are eager to share our culture with all,” she said. “The more that come who aren’t aboriginal, the more they will understand who we are. We are happy people who are willing to share everything.”
She added there are about 22,000 indigenous people in the Kitchener-Waterloo area.
Gerard Roberts from Rockwood looked spectacular in his regalia. He was asked what the pow wow means to him.
“It is about restoring honour and dignity to all people,” he said.
Ascension Harjo, 15, also decked out in very elaborate and bright regalia, was asked the same question.
“For me, it is about being active in my religion and beliefs,” said the boy, who is from Six Nations of the Grand River.
