Attendees pour into annual powwow  

The 32nd annual Echoes of a Proud Nation Pow-Wow was once again a major success this weekend.

This year’s powwow saw over 12,000 attendees descend upon Tekakwitha Island for the celebration of Kanien'kehá:ka culture. That included roughly 8,500 who bought tickets on Saturday alone.

Records were broken at their ATM, which saw roughly $90,000 taken by attendees over the weekend. The amount taken out just on Saturday also surpassed last year’s total for the entire weekend.

“Our vendors must be really happy,” said Lynne Norton, an organizer of the event. “There was a big crowd, and we knew they liked what they saw and what they were buying.”

A total of 75 craft booths and 25 food vendors were also there for the fun – albeit scorching hot – weekend.

Over 100 lucky dancers took home prizes ranging from $100 for youth to $1,000 for seniors throughout the dance competitions, too. 

Elliott Doxtater-Wynn, who hails from Six Nations, joined in under the 45-59 age bracket. He’s been coming to the powwow for years now, and said he’s always awe-struck as he watches the dancers take to the field.

“The fact that there’s still people here means they defended this land all of that time,” he said. “When I see the warrior dances, and the beauty and majesty of what we're doing, it just gives me chills.”

It’s a tradition he learned from his father, and one he’s now passing on to his own children. 

Kahentísas Alfred also participated in several dances over the weekend, and was even named head dancer on Sunday, much to her surprise. With that she got the chance to lead the line for grand entry that morning.

“It’s a pretty big honour,” said Alfred. “When they asked me, I was like ‘Heck, yeah.’ I was very excited. I've never done it before.”

The Kahnawa’kehró:non also came out to represent her bid for Miss Indigenous Canada, a title to be awarded at the pageant in Six Nations set for later this month. 

For sisters Iohseri:io and Savannah Polson, the powwow wasn’t just an opportunity to sell their art – it was also a chance to reconnect with the community – which included many they hadn’t seen in years.  

“I love the social aspect. I really like connecting. I get to see so many friends here, past co-workers, and family. It’s really a gathering place,” Iohseri:io said. “It’s really fun to just see everyone all in one place, celebrating the culture, our art, and ourselves.”

She came out selling t-shirts and tote bags she created using hand-carved vinyl cut imprints. Her sister meanwhile sold prints of her digital pixel art featuring motifs referencing the thanksgiving address, the seventh-generation principle, and medicine wheel, among other teachings. 

“It represents traditional teachings that I’ve learned and I’m excited to share,” the artist said. 

“Just being here and being surrounded by my people, by the music and the art, it just feels really good,” she added. “I’m not even here to make money.”

There were admittedly some glitches over the weekend, but Norton said that was expected considering just how many people turned out. A limit to how much parking can fit on the powwow grounds has been a persistent problem for years, and one without a simple solution. 

That said, “All in all, it went really well,” she said. 

It wouldn’t have been possible without the support of their sponsors. Kahnawake’s Caisse Desjardins donated $10,000 toward the event, with community member John McComber contributing $13,000. The exo bus was also a major help, Norton said, transporting those coming from Montreal for free throughout the entire weekend.

The bus even took a new and improved route this year, winding down Blind Lady’s Hill Road instead of taking the usual Route 207. The road was closed to non-local drivers in the meantime so the bus could get in traffic-free. 

“It really made a big difference,” Norton said.

She said she also hopes to see the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) keep to its promise about widening the bridge leading onto the island. 

Right now, only one vehicle can pass at a time, and drivers often have to stop to let in the constant streams of pedestrians coming in and out of the powwow. Making the bridge a two-way lane road, as well as adding more space for those walking over, would be a real game-changer for next year.

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This article was originally published in print on July 19 in issue 33.29 of The Eastern Door.