Honouring our Past and Present Elders" was the theme at the 5th Annual Inter-School Pow Wow held at the White Bear Education Complex on Friday, May 15.
A number of schools from the Treaty 4 Region participated at the traditional pow wow event with some coming in from areas like Goose Lake, Peepeekisis, Ochapowace and Kahkewistahaw. Categories available to participants were tiny tots, junior and teens both with girls and boys participating. There were more than 200 people in attendance. The event began with a traditional entry song which saw Korean War vet, George Sparvier leading the group of dancers through the school's gymnasium. This was followed by a day of celebration as special songs and dances were performed by young people dressed in traditional Native clothing. According to the school's principal Murray Bird, school pow wows are instrumental in helping First Nation young people retain their culture and traditions.
"It helps our youth be aware, be aware of our culture, be aware of our traditions, be aware of our dances. All these dances are different, from the jingle dress to the grass dance to traditional dances and all the women and men have their respective dances and each one is different, it represents something," he said.
Bird said First Nation children and students need to know their culture and highlighted the schools dedication to this ideal, pointing to the school's practice sessions for drum groups and dancers throughout the year. This, he said, also prepares the students for larger pow wows with adults in the future.
"So what we're doing is teaching in a good way and how to be knowledgeable, they're not going retain it over night but we have young ones from grade 3 right up to grade 12 that are all participating in the pow wows today. It takes a lot of work but the key word is culture," he said.
One individual who spearheaded the project was White Bear Education Complex teacher, Liesa McArthur. She got the idea of hosting an inter-school pow wow while teaching in Northern Saskatchewan several years ago. While there she came to see how the schools in that area were dedicated to having inter-school pow wows.
"When I came home to teach, I went home one day and I had a conversation with my late mom and said, 'we should have a powwowwe should start one here' and so my mom helped me put it together," she said.
McArthur said the pow wow held in the White Bear school was primarily for the children and described it as a success, saying it is always a great achievement when one can draw many people to a location to sing and dance. Principal Bird explained that five years ago school pow wows in their treaty land was unheard of but since Lisa MacArthur initiated the program it has seen a steady growth.
"It was big, but now other schools emulate what we're doing now and there are numerous schools down in our First Nation territory that have school pow wows. At one time you might see two or three junior drummers, now you see lots. There's lots at every pow wow, it varies, we have five, six drummers here today and they're all youth and they all have one or two senior advisers singing with them," he said.
"The ones that know the songs are teaching our young, these songs have to be taught. They have to be retained so they can be carried on further down the line to their children and their children's children. They are all very, very important to a lot of people who don't know, when these drums are going they have different verses, different words, different beats and it's a good thing."
