Cambrian College was bustling with energy this weekend. The sounds of drums could be heard from afar, while vibrations of the drum could be felt throughout the gymnasium where a large crowd sporting colourful regalia had gathered.
Members of the local Indigenous community marched to the sounds of the drum and enthusiastic songs into the gymnasium from the east entrance to kick-off the third annual powwow.
A powwow is a celebration of Indigenous spirituality, history and culture. It consists of dances, drum music, singers, and regalia – all sacred elements of the ceremony, which tell essential stories about personal and cultural history.
This year’s powwow told the story of creation which is central to many Indigenous cultures with its theme of honouring Turtle Island.
Grandmother Martina Osawamick, at Cambrian College, explained Turtle Island is the North American continent, which appears in the shape of a turtle on the map.
“Centuries ago when Mother Earth was crumbling after the great flood, many animals worked to revive earth, and in doing so, the turtle offered its back on which a new land could be formed,” Grandmother Osawamick said
Cambrian College revived the powwow tradition at the school three years ago in conjunction with Rainbow District School Board to impart knowledge to the students into the Indigenous culture and tradition.
“For us, the education component is very important, not only we want to teach the students about the culture we want them to be involved in the key roles of the powwow and learn the protocols,” Robert Audet, acting director of Cambrian College Wabanode Centre said.
This two-day event included many learning opportunities not only for Cambrian students but also the Rainbow school board students.
“This is a student-led powwow, so we actually had a student’s pick out the theme, and we also had students shadow our Arena Director, or emcee so they could get a first-hand experience of hosting a powwow,” Audet said.
To include the learning component this year’s event was held over a span of two days.
“On Friday we brought kids from the school board to learn about the culture and how things are done and to learn from every year’s theme,” Audet said.
As no powwow is complete without a feast, the event also featured some delicacies prepared by Indigenous chefs.
“We try to bring chefs who belong to the Indigenous community to have the authentic powwow celebration,” Audet said.
