I attended my first powwow last month, and I’d love to share some details about my amazing day, including what to expect. There’s some back story though, so let’s talk about that first.
One of the assignments for the course I was taking challenged us to find a way to connect with a local Indigenous community. The purpose of this connection was just to learn something new – perhaps have a new experience or meet someone new. There weren’t many parameters around the assignment other than to get out there and make a connection.
I immediately felt the call to finally connect with the Six Nations of the Grand River. I grew up in Brantford, right next to the Six Nations reserve, and had never found an opportunity to visit. When I lived in Brantford, the predominant sentiment among the people I was in contact with was that I had no business visiting the reserve for any reason. The message I received was to stay away, so I did.
I have had a lot of learning and unlearning to do over the years to be able to point out the bias I was exposed to and to find the language to talk about how that impacted my perspective regarding First Nations people. The long and the short of it is that after generations of systemic erasure of the true history of Indigenous peoples, nobody knew what they didn’t know.
It seems like we now know better and we are slowly doing better. This is why I am here – to continue to lean in and listen, to learn, and to share. There’s still so much work to be done.
Off to Ohsweken Speedway!
My route to Ohsweken felt like I was literally going home, but I turned off the highway a little bit before I made it to Brantford. As I drove closer to the speedway – the site of the Grand River Champion of Champions Powwow – I was struck with some emotions. I felt excited and nervous because it was my first powwow. I also felt some overwhelming emotions connected to how special it was to finally be connecting with the community I had lived near all my life yet never visited.
The events of the day started with a special presentation of singing and dancing by a visiting group from the southern USA called the Fort Mojave Bird Singers. I made a point of arriving in time to see them because I am interested in the variations in styles (music, dancing, clothing) that come from all over the world.
The grand entry kicked off the official events for the day. As I watched hundreds of dancers dressed in their regalia enter the circle carried by the music of the drummers and singers, I was once again overcome with emotion. It’s difficult not to feel the spirit of the event very deeply as everyone comes together for a first dance in the circle, led by the veterans and lead dancers. I was grateful that the master of ceremonies for the event was so forthcoming with information about how to pay respect (for example, when to stand and remove your hat during the grand entry) as well as the significance of the dances throughout the day.
I watched the competitions for a variety of dances: the female traditional, fancy shawl, and jingle dress categories, as well as the male traditional, grass, and fancy categories. I witnessed dozens of women dancing together in their jingle dresses and was mesmerised by the sound the dresses made. When I looked into the significance of the jingle dress after the event, I was not surprised to learn that the belief is that the dresses have healing powers. This is just one example of how the dances are connected to Indigenous spirituality, and I would like to explore this even further now that I have experienced it.
As I watched the dancers perform, I was reminded of how Wab Kinew (currently the leader of the Manitoba NDP and leader of the opposition in the Manitoba Legislative Assembly) described the spiritual and healing nature of the sundances he has participated in throughout his life. In his book, The Reason You Walk, about his reconnection with his father during his battle with cancer in the last year of his life, Kinew takes us through the ceremonies they perform during the sundance and explains the sacred connection they are making with the creator.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the vendors who were on site at the powwow. There was lots to enjoy in the way of food – even some traditional options! And the shopping was fantastic for those of us interested in sampling the handiwork of the artisans. I finally bought myself a proper t-shirt for Orange Shirt Day! Next time I will take even more cash with me to support the vendors.
The festivities of the powwow continued into the evening with the smoke dance competition, which I didn’t get to see. Next time I hope to see something different and have more to share.
Please join the conversation by commenting below.
Can you share your first experience attending a powwow?
What books or films do you know of that discuss the signifcance of music, dancing, powwows, etc. in Indigenous cultures?
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