SASKATOON – Friday through Sunday, hundreds of participants from across North America are dancing at Credit Union Centre In Saskatoon for one of Canada’s biggest pow wows.
For 67-year-old participant Cecil Nepoose, dancing is all about healing.
“I battle with an illness, and I have to keep going… pow wow helps sustain me from falling over.”
Nepoose has Type 2 diabetes and he says there’s something deeply restorative about the celebration.
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“It’s just the enjoyment of it, the spirit of it…I’ve been in pow wows for all my life just about,” said the dancer.
Nepoose, along with hundreds of the dancers at the Spirit of our Nations pow wow, have been dancing since they learned how to walk.
Hosted by the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN), the event celebrates different cultures coming together under one roof.
The theme of this year’s cultural celebration is remembering missing indigenous people and those who’ve lost their lives.
“We recognize our First Nations veterans,” said Howard Thompson, pow wow emcee.
“They put themselves in harm’s way so that we can have the freedom that we have,” he explained.
And with every drum beat and flash of colourful regalia, there is no doubt that freedom was felt at this year’s pow wow.
Thompson said it’s very important that the new generations carry on the tradition.
The final grand entry took place at noon on Sunday.
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