Pow Wow Week 2

If one thought that our first week of the Powwow workshop here at ACCI was well attended, then our second week exceeded all expectations.  The second week targeted youth and adults who wanted to learn about dancing, making regalia, and to generally learn about what Powwows are and general conduct while attending.   

We started off the week by having a showcase of our two wonderful dancers, Gabriel Whiteduck and Paula Menarick.  The excitement level was already high, however after the introductory performance; the focus on learning from Ouje-Bougoumou’s youth was way beyond anyone’s imagination. After the initial excitement of the dancing, the youth spent the rest of the day learning about Powwow etiquette and about the regalia worn during a Powwow.  
  
The following day saw the youth learn various dance steps and practice through games and role playing.  Laughter filled the Billy Diamond Hall and the youth were totally engaged.  If we were able to teach for 24 hours a day, there is no doubt that they would have stayed that long.   They soon learned how to put together parts of regalia, patterns were being shared and beads were being placed on slippers and decorative pieces. 

 

 One suggestion came out that changed the entire course of the week, “can we learn how to sing and drum?”  With that one of our participants went home and brought back his drum.  The level of interest in this area from the ones who had a difficult time expressing themselves through dance, really started to shine.  They were able to learn a few songs, and started to understand the beats and rhythm of the songs so that the dancers would be able to dance.  For many this part was a highlight of the week.  As the week went on, the youth were continually asking for the drum.

There was so much chatter among the youth that the following two days saw our attendance double.  There were close to 40 people here, all enthusiastic about dancing, sewing and drumming. In fact, there were so many people, that it was almost impossible to stretch and do our pre dancing warm ups in the Chief Billy Diamond Hall. However, when there is a will there is a way. 

We were so incredibly pleased to host this workshop, and we hope that the youth were able to take away enough information dancing and regalia making, that they are able to practice on their own in the coming months and work on their regalia to be ready for the 4^th annual Ouje-Bougoumou Powwow.

Adelyna Sara Snow’s Walking Out Ceremony

The walking out ceremony is a Cree tradition that has been done for children for hundreds of years. When a child was born, they were not allowed to touch the ground until they went through this ceremony. The parents took great care of keeping them off the ground. The ceremony can be done for a child or many children at the same time. Once the child is of age to walk or is close to the age of walking the ceremony is done for them during the spring. The child is dressed in traditional clothing of his or her gender and given miniature tools that each gender would use as a woman or man out in their hunting grounds. They are also being introduced to the land and their roles they will do in the future as their ancestors have done before them. The child is walked around the front of the lodge, teepee or shaptuaan. As they walk around they demonstrate a role they would do, for example the women display gathering wood or the men hunting. They re-enter the lodge and bring gifts to the elder that the child carries in his bag. Then the child is greeted by everyone with hugs and kisses. The ceremony is followed by a feast to honour the child/children. It is a beautiful and heart felt ceremony.

Albert St-Pierre and Sabrina Bouchard asked me to make them a walking out ceremony outfit for their daughter Adelyna. She would be having her ceremony at the end of May. At first, I was hesitant to accept because I had already had a long list of sewing orders from many other people. I accepted their request because there was something very special about Adelyna. I just felt I had to make it for her.

I asked Sabrina what kind of outfit she wanted me to make. She did not have anything specific in mind but trusted me as an artist to make something beautiful for her daughter. Since October 2013 I have been working at the Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute as an education consultant. Over this time I have had time to do some research on traditional James Bay Cree clothing dating from 1600-1800’s. I offered to make an 1800’s style outfit the women would wear on special ceremonies, including the beaded hood, separate sleeves, hide dress and leggings. She agreed with this style but absolutely insisted on having the colour purple in it. No problem! As I have learned through anthropological papers and the Elders of Eeyou Istchee, each of these traditional clothing pieces has deep significance. For example, the women’s leggings had a side flap, embellished with beadwork or ribbon work. The pattern has a story of origin. Long ago the women’s leggings were cut out with a curve at the bottom and the men’s were cut out into a point. The point of the legging represents the hoof of a caribou. This design was to please and help ‘Pikuutskaw’, the Woman of the Land’, and the spiritual caretaker of all animals and the hunt. The cut of the leggings helped her differentiate from woman to hunter. If Pikuutskaw saw the point of the male leggings she would send game to the hunter so he could bring food to feed his family. With what I have learned I was careful to stay close to the traditional patterns and honour their symbolic meaning.