The Grand Entry on day two of the Red Deer International Powwow. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

red deer international powwow

Powwow organizer recalls inspiration for love of dance

Oct 23, 2021 | 2:45 PM

When Patrick Mitsuing takes to the dance floor, it represents opportunity for the Sylvan Lake resident to preserve his Cree culture.

“In the beginning, there were nerves, but after a while and really practicing, I learned how to get in the zone,” the 36-year-old says. “I feel like any problem I have, I’m leaving it out there, and for a quick moment in time, it’s just me and that drum.”

Now a champion fancy dancer, Mitsuing took up the art when he was just eight. It was his late uncle who bought him his first outfit — purple and white, he recalls, which is the pattern he sticks to today.

“When I went to my first powwow, I heard a loud cheer from the audience, and I remember running to see what all the commotion was about. I see these guys dancing with the feathers and colourful regalia, and time slowed down for me,” he recalls.

“I pointed at them and thought to myself ‘I don’t know what this is or what they’re doing, but I’m going to do it one day.'”

Originally from Loon Lake, Saskatchewan – in Cree: Makwa Sahgaiehcan — Mitsuing moved to central Alberta over a decade ago. It’s been his dream to bring a powwow to Red Deer.

The first annual Red Deer International Powwow is happening at Westerner Park through Sunday. It’s organized by Mitsuing’s Powwow Times, a non-profit which promotes Indigenous artists and events.

Patrick Mitsuing in his powwow regalia — featuring his trademark purple. (Courtesy: Patrick Mitsuing)

“I work in the education system with Chinook’s Edge School Division and I know it’s a bit of a challenge for non-Indigenous people to get these experiences, especially between Red Deer and Calgary where there aren’t a lot of reserves,” explains Mitsuing, the division’s Indigenous Education Coordinator.

“So to create an opportunity for them means a lot for me because my kids go to school here, there are a lot of Indigenous students in the area, and when we can get our non-Indigenous people to understand our culture, the importance of why we do the things we do, like a powwow, it brings all the more empathy into the classroom, at home, and when we talk about truth and reconciliation.”

Mitsuing, a husband, a father of four, says for Indigenous folks, powwow is a chance for healing, allowing their culture to reflourish, listening to the languages used, and celebrating through song and dance.

Tickets for the Red Deer International Powwow are available inside the doors of Westerner Park’s Exhibition Hall. Grand Entry on Saturday night is at 7 p.m., then 12 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $10/day, and attendees must show proof of vaccination or a negative rapid COVID-19 test.

More information is at pwtpowwow.com.