The sound of drums and movement of dancers fills York Arena in Fredericton as the A Taste of the Atlantic powwow is in full swing.
It’s the closing day of the second annual A Taste of the Atlantic festival, which brings together Indigenous chefs, artists, drummers and dancers. Jenna White is the creator of the event, which offers three dining experiences across two weekends as well as grassroots day, centred around a powwow.
“The whole idea of the event is to give people an opportunity to experience Indigenous culture first-hand. Experience is a great way to build appreciation,” she said.
On top of the dining experiences, White says the powwow is a chance to bring together other forms of Indigenous art. Along with the drumming and dancing, workshops for different types of Indigenous art are held throughout the day.
“It’s an opportunity to see what actually goes into the pieces that Indigenous artists create, and it gives them a little bit of knowledge they may not have had before,” she said.
Another aspect of the event is the Powwow Pitch competition.
Entrepreneurs are able to pitch business ideas for the chance at a $1,000 first prize, with $750 for second and $500 for third. Keely Thompson Cook is the communications coordinator for Powwow Pitch and says the competition is a great way for entrepreneurs to practice pitching and gain confidence.
“It’s an opportunity for Indigenous entrepreneurs to put themselves out there, gain exposure, gain skills in talking about their business and getting comfortable with it,” she said.
“A lot of the time we have entrepreneurs that are scared to even call themselves entrepreneurs so we’re all about confidence building.”
Thompson Cook says Powwow Pitch is very focused on how it can bring together and support Indigenous entrepreneurs.
“Building a community is a major part of what we’re trying to do at Powwow Pitch. We’re all about trying to find different ways to support our entrepreneurs and to support our Powwow Pitch community,” she said.
“Mentorship is a very important part of what we do.”
A Taste of the Atlantic creator Jenna White says the event will be back next year for its third installment.