The 15th annual traditional Pow Wow hosted by Be-Dah-Bin Gamik, Indigenous Services at Conestoga, at the Kitchener - Doon campus drew about 2,500 community members to celebrate culture that is Indigenous to Canada, and many more who watched the livestream online.
The 15th annual Pow Wow hosted by Be-Dah-Bin Gamik, Indigenous Services at Conestoga, included 144 registered dancers and eight drums.
The all-day event on March 15 featured 144 registered dancers and eight drums in the Student Recreation Centre. Conestoga is home to one of the largest Pow Wows held in Waterloo Region, providing the Indigenous community with a safe space to celebrate and share their traditions with each other and the wider community.
“The Pow Wow has grown into such a beautiful event. There’s so much collaboration and there’s so much community support,” said Christina Restoule, manager of Indigenous Student Services. “The students love it, and international students get a chance to really see what original Canadian culture is all about, what it looks like and all of the beauty and colour and vibrancy of it.”
This was the first year the Pow Wow was livestreamed to the public by CCDTV - Conestoga College Digital Television. “I think that really allowed us to get out further to the community.”
The Pow Wow included champion dancers who travel across Canada and the United States to compete, as well as dancers who have grown up while attending the event over the years.
There were also 75 vendors offering a selection of handmade items including beadwork, leatherwork, paintings, clothing, baskets and drums. People could also enjoy tasty treats from the food vendors.
Families could take a break from the pageantry and enjoy Indigenous-based children’s activities in the “cub club” hosted this year by the Ga’nigǫhi:yo Indigenous Child Care & Family Centre. The Pow Wow always partners with an Indigenous organization to host an area offering family friendly arts and crafts, as well as information booths from local groups offering supports and services for Indigenous residents.
“It gives the community a chance to get to know some of the services that are available here in Waterloo Region, specifically for Indigenous children and families,” Restoule said.
The Pow Wow also includes an Elder in Residence to offer guidance and advice. “When we have the Pow Wow we always want to have positions that support Indigenous culture, history and knowledge. The Elder in Residence that day is there to provide that.”
The atmosphere in the recreation centre is “always so exciting,” Restoule said. “Pow Wow only happens once a year and it is super charged.”