The public is invited to a pow wow at the community school on Penticton Indian Band (PIB) land this weekend.
The three day event kicked off at Outma Squilix Cultural School on Friday.
The festivities, rich in history, used to attract international attention to the south Okanagan but had been on hiatus for decades, according to Global Okanagan’s Native affairs correspondent, Tracey Kim Bonneau.
WATCH BELOW: Pow wow returns to the south Okanagan
Bonneau said the pow wow in Penticton ran from 1971 to 1978.
Among those who were behind the efforts to bring the event back this year is Christine Jack, a mother of six and a member of the PIB council, who wanted to bring back the old traditions, including the salmon dinner.
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“I remember people lined up for a really long ways to be able to get a piece of that salmon BBQ dinner,” Christine said in an interview with Bonneau.
Christine’s daughter Marlee is now the president of the Four Seasons Cultural Society, which is hosting the pow wow.
“It’s a revive of what used to be with the Fours Seasons War Dance Club… we are making a pow wow with dance competitions [and] there will be a stick game tournament,” Christine said.
Other highlights are the regalia and craftsmanship that can be viewed at the pow wow, which Marlee Jack described as a multicultural event.
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Click here for more information about the PIB.
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