Pow wow draws large number of dancers, drummers and spectators

There’s a lot Kekwedwe Sands and Kiibidigoshin Plain can count on when they visit the Six Nations Champion of Champions Pow Wow every year.

They’re going to have fun, they’re going to learn lots and they’ll have a ton of family support.

“We have a lot of family members here,” said Neva Isaac-Sands, who is a grandmother of the two toddlers. “Some are dancers and some are here with the Crazy Spirit Drum group.

“Right now they’re too young for the competitions but they get a chance to experience the pow wow and learn from the other dancers.”

Kekwedwe is five and will soon be able to participate in competitions while Kiibidigoshin, at two, will have to wait a few years. They are from the Aamjiwnaang First Nation near Sarnia.

But both were dressed in their colorful regalia on Saturday and although they stood off the side, they were part of the Grand Entry to get the day of dancing and singing started. The regalia that each of them wore included a beaded head band and cacophony of colors including bright blue, red, orange and green.

The colors were so eye-catching, the pair were asked to pose for numerous photos before joining other toddlers for the tiny tots dance.

Although Isaac-Sands led the way when it came to creating both boys helped and were able to learn about the significance of the colors and the intricacy of the bead work that is part of their regalia.

For the second consecutive year, the pow wow was held at Ohsweken Speedway on Chiefswood Road. Prior to last year, the pow wow was always held at Chiefswood Park.

A change in location was needed because the event has grown a great deal in recent years. The growth of the pow wow was very much in evidence on Saturday as hundreds of dancers of all ages participated in the Grand Entry.

Charlene Bomberry of the pow wow’s organizing committee couldn’t put an exact figure on the number of dancers participating in the event.

But she put the number at about 400 and said the number of drum groups increased to 12 this year. The drum groups included Young Spirit, a group from Alberta.

In addition to a large number of dancers and drummers, the pow wow attracted a lot of vendors and a huge crowd.

“I’m very happy,” Bomberry said. “We have a lot more people here and we’re glad that we’re able to use Ohsweken Speedway.

“We needed more space and Glenn (Styres) offered it to us and we accepted.”

Last year’s pow wow, the first since the COVID-19 pandemic, also attracted huge crowds. But many people found themselves in a traffic jam along Chiefswood Road waiting to get into a parking area.

That wasn’t a problem this year.

“Remember, last year’s pow wow was all done at the last minute,” Bomberry said. “We didn’t have a lot of time to organize everything.

“This year we had a lot more time to get organized and getting in and out of the speedway is pretty easy.”

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