Walpole Island First Nation’s spring powwow saw a large gathering mark a major milestone this weekend.
Walpole Island First Nation’s spring powwow saw a large gathering mark a major milestone this weekend.
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Thousands of people, including many families and community organizations, came out over two days for the 30th annual event, which featured traditional dancing, music, food and numerous other activities.
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“It’s bigger than last year,” said Stephen Saelens, an organizer, before Saturday’s grand entrance. “It’s definitely more than expected. . . It’s nice.”
Opening ceremonies consisted of a grass blessing, followed by the entrance of the veteran honor guard and a large group of dancers, young and old.
There were also drum circles, singing groups and about 80 vendors.
The weather held out for the weekend, unlike in 2022 when the activities and booths had to be moved inside the arena, only for the power to go out for several hours.
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Saelens said the large-scale event draws people from across the region, noting much of the interest is because it’s one of the first outdoor powwows of the year.
“I think people look forward to doing an outdoor powwow,” he said. “Because all of the powwows the first few months of the year are always indoors. We’re pretty much the first outdoor (event) in the area.”
The powwow takes a couple of months to organize, he said, adding everything comes together fairly quickly closer to the big weekend.
For a list of upcoming events at Walpole Island First Nation, visit walpoleislandfirstnation.ca/events
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