The Buffalo People Arts Institute organized the Buffalo Day Traditional Powwow and Festival during Canada Day weekend, which occurred at Regina’s Buffalo Meadows.
The event started on Friday with a mural painting on the Buffalo Meadows Park pool wall and sidewalk along with a tipi raising on the other side of the park. The festival held storytelling, face painting, a buffalo feast, a traditional powwow and live music right until Sunday.
“We’re here to honour the children, honour the land, this is Treaty 4 land and to honour the Tatanka,” said Co-founder and organizer Joely BigEagle-Kequahtooway. “My best part of these days are when the children are happy, when we give them this safe space to gather. (When) they see the tipis, they know to (come here) and to be welcomed.”
A matriarch for the Buffalo People Arts Institute said the weekend event is all about sharing love, laughter and happiness.
“It’s about creating a sense of belonging for people in our community but also to embrace other cultures as well to come and celebrate,” said Brenda Dubois. “So much pride in bringing out our dance, our stories, our culture, our laughter is the most important love.”
Big Eagle-Kequahtooway said the event aims to rename July 1st to Tatanka Day which means “buffalo” in the Dakota/Nakota language and with the social art justice action project, they hope to change Dewdney Avenue to Tatanka Avenue.
“(To) celebrate the land, the child and the buffalo,” she said. “It’s our form of honouring July 1st.”