Text & Photos : Ninka North
“In the powwows, there is a lot of medicine”, say the dancers…”
Drumbeats in the distance, a continuous rumble running through the space as we approach the mast erected in the center of the dance area, instinctively reappropriating the gestures of the first man…
Rhythmed by the drums whose sacred beats recall those of the heart of the Earth, Pow Wows are intertribal meetings punctuated by ceremonies and traditional dances; a timeless space during which we trade our everyday clothes to become actors of a celebration of sacred dimension.
A unifying symbol of the different nations, the pow wow is the most important event of the year. Endangered by the prohibitions imposed by colonization and evangelization, its perpetuation took place discreetly, out of sight and clandestinely until 1951.
During the period of repression that lasted over a century11880 and 1895 amendments to the Indian Act, dances were outlawed. In Quebec, the first powwow was held in 1991, but since then, there has been a clear revival of interest in the tradition.
The name “pow wow” is controversial. Some suggest that it comes from “pawnee pa wa”2https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/history-of-powwows meaning “to eat”. Others suggest that it is derived from the word “pau wau” or “pa wa” which, of Narragansett3in the Algonquian language, means “he dreams” and refers to the “medicine man”, the healer. In any case, the term will end up designating the native gatherings of all the tribes at the arrival of the first settlers.
Today, many pow-wows organize intertribal dance competitions and traditional craft fairs.
If ancient pow wows were events of a spiritual and warlike nature4celebrating exploits and bravery in battle, today’s gatherings have retained their sacred character. It was the war veterans who put powwows back in the spotlight.
The dancers wear regalia made during the winter and eagle feathers earned through spiritual journeys. They enter the Circle from the East, walking towards the sun. The sacred area of the powwow, the circle in the middle of which stands the pole, symbolizing the center of the universe, is always blessed by a spiritual leader.
An eagle’s head, symbolizing the Great Spirit or Great Mystery – “Wakan Tanka”5https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wakan_Tanka in Lakota (Sioux) – is often hung on the central pole.
During the ceremonies, the song and dance, as well as the eagle feather, are medicines. Nothing is left to chance: animal and floral symbols, the color of the feathers worn by the dancers, everything has a precise meaning. The feathers can be painted red or decorated with red dots, split or serrated. The original meaning was to inform about the feats of arms of the warriors in battle.
Today, powwows host dance competitions and traditional craft fairs, but there are also smaller, more family-oriented powwows that retain the authentic feel of the early gatherings.
The Métis, who are now very present among the Aboriginal people, are participating in the revival of the tradition and are also developing their own regalia. Many of them are
among the traditional dancers who make the annual pow-pow circuit.
Over the past decade or so their numbers have increased considerably, a phenomenon that attests to the renewed interest in ancestral roots, even if there is a percentage of self-proclaimed Métis among them.