Summer Student Scoop: Putting the wow in powwow

Picture this, it’s the second weekend in July, the sun is shining, ice cream is trickling down cones, and you can feel the sweat dripping down your forehead as you walk down the bicycle path. Suddenly, you hear the beat of a drum in the distance.

Without even realizing it, a year has come and gone, and Kahnawake’s Echoes of A Proud Nation Pow-wow is taking place again.

I have been going to the powwow for as long as I can remember, thanks to its low cost, with it being free for children under the age of five, $10 for general admission, and $5 for seniors aged 60 and up.

Since it takes place this upcoming weekend, (July 11 through 12), with a community-only social set to occur Friday evening, I have been reminiscing over past powwows I’ve attended.

I did have the opportunity to attend a powwow in Ottawa when I was younger, and while I cared more about my corn soup tasting a little off than I did about looking at practically anything else, I was able to appreciate the intimacy of the event.

In comparison to the one held in Kahnawake, theirs felt more tight-knit, I was able to check out the various arts and crafts booths they had, tried different types of foods, and even ran into some familiar faces from Kahnawake while I was there.

Although I haven’t attended many powwows throughout my life, (and this might just be my pride showing) I’ve heard that Kahnawake’s is one of the best, or at least one of the bigger ones. We’re known to have many booths, food stands, and of course, dances.

While I’ve never participated in the dances myself, one of the things I always remembered looking forward to were the various powwow dances the competitors participated in, such as the Jingle Dress dance.

As I was too young to understand the logistics of the competition (I still don’t have an eye to distinguish what differentiates a good dancer from a great one), I just remembered hearing the jingles of the dresses, and seeing the pretty colours of the fabrics begin to spin as people danced around.

There are always plenty of booths full of Indigenous-owned and operated businesses, selling products ranging from various types of beadwork, to animal pelts and arts and crafts.

This year’s powwow is set to have over 75 crafts booths, and around 25 food booths, which is, of course, what I, and I imagine most other people in Kahnawake, look forward to the most. There is just so much to choose from, from walleye nuggets and a bucket of lemonade to Indian Tacos and strawberry juice; I always tend to overindulge at the powwow, something that my stomach doesn’t tend to agree with down the line.

However, one of the best, and perhaps the most interesting parts of the powwow is getting to meet and interact with all of the Indigenous people from other nations who travel to attend.

People from Onondaga and Seneca, as well as individuals from outside the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, travel far and wide to participate in the festivities.

Over the years, I’ve met so many interesting people from other nations, such as a Cree woman who taught me how to distinguish the differences between types of corn soup across nations. I’ve learned how to spot corn soup that’s made in the Onondaga way, the Cree way, which in turn, taught me to appreciate the differences and similarities across our cultural foods.

So, if you’re walking down the bicycle path this weekend and happen to hear the beat of a drum in the distance, or even just looking for something to do, heading to the powwow may be the right decision for you.

A picture is worth a thousand words, but the memories made at the powwow easily triumph over any photo that could ever be taken.

[email protected]