It’s the start of the powwow trail. The booming drum beat, dancers and traditional regalia filled the ENMAX Centre this weekend for the 23rd annual International Peace Pow-wow in Lethbridge.
“Throughout the winter months, this one’s gotta be one of our biggest powwows, and we certainly enjoy all visitors that come from both United States and Canada,” said Arnold Mountain Horse, an elder, founding committee member of the Pow-Wow, and long time drummer and singer.
Hosted by Siksikaitsitapi, the Blackfoot Confederacy, the Peace Pow-wow brings together nearly 400 dancers and thousands of attendees. The Blackfoot Confederacy spans much of southern Alberta, Montana, and parts of BC and Saskatchewan.
“It’s very important to have our elders and our youth come together,” said Mountain Horse.
“It’s all about preserving our culture,” said Chandler Scout, this years Head Man Dancer. “Back then, we never really had this — we were trapped on reserves for a long time, and it was introduced into the powwow circuit for us to come together and celebrate (off the reserve) without discrimination.”
Scout said regalia and dance style tell the stories of ancestors.
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“Everything has meaning,” said Scout. “I’m a Northern Traditional Dancer, so basically a warrior, a storyteller, and hunter and gatherer.”
Each dance genre has a different type of regalia.
Megan Grosventreboy was the Head Woman Dancer this year — she does Women’s Traditional Dance.
“The dress I’m wearing is actually passed down to me. It was a gift to me from Isis Red Elk from Wyoming, and she had drove it up here to deliver it to me,” said Grosventreboy. “That is a great honour for me because I’m given something that she was wearing in her younger years and I get to carry on that traditional dance in her regalia.”
One day she will get to pass that knowledge and dress on to her children.
The Pow-wow trail continues into the summer. It’s an opportunity for anyone to learn more and celebrate Indigenous culture.
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