Manawan, formerly Manouane, is an atikamekw community located in the Lanaudière region of Matawinie. Its name means “where eggs are gathered”. The atikamekw’s ancestral territory, Nitaskinan1Our land , covers some 80,000 km2.
The first pow wow was held in 2006, the centennial of the reserve created in 1906. This event represents a crucial link of unity for the Nehirowisiwok Atikamekw of Manawan.
It usually takes place in early August, from Friday to Sunday evening, on a small arena built in the middle of the trees,
just above the community. It’s a familial pow wow that brings together various dancers from the neighbouring atikamekw communities and innu, anishinaabe and waban-aki dancers, around drummers.
If the event aims to promote intergenerational exchanges and ancestral traditions, it is above all a spiritual event with a holistic vocation, an essential healing tool for the community.