Sylvan Lake to host 4th annual International Powwow Oct. 18-20

“We call ourselves nehiyawak (meaning Cree), which comes from the word newo, which means four. It’s a special number for us,” Mitsuing explains.

“When we go to a sweat lodge ceremony, we do four rounds; when we commit to a Sun Dance ceremony, we commit to four years; there are the four cycles of the seasons and we have the four cycles of life — baby to youth to adult to elder. We do things in four to complete one cycle of our commitment. This is our fourth powwow and we wanted to bring it back to where it all began for Powwow Times.”

At this year’s powwow, there will be new dancers, and likely more than ever. The number had grown to 800 last year.

The number of Indigenous vendors will be larger, and a big addition to the event is Indigenous food trucks where you can get things like bannock burgers.

Tickets are $25 for a weekend pass, $15 for one day, $5 for 55+, and children seven and under get in free. They are available at the door, or at the venue the day before (Oct. 17) so attendees can skip the line the day of.

“Powwow Times is constantly educating people in central Alberta about Indigenous people, about the heritage, culture and language. I think it’s going to continue to take a while for people because things are indoctrinated. Our ways of life and thinking are different than regular Canadian culture,” says Mitsuing about what he hopes people take away from attending the powwow.

“Tourism-wise, this is a great thing to do, and we know people are always looking for something to do. Here’s something new, in terms of it being something people may have never thought about. There’s singing, dancing, education and tourism, and it all goes hand-in-hand. It’s a big learning experience.”

He adds that they’ve built this event up to a size that it’s taken other similar ones 15 to 20 years to do.

Volunteers are still being sought and you can sign up here or email kim.verrier@reddeermuseum.com. More information about the powwow is at pwtpowwow.com. Again, tickets are not available online.

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by Josh Hall | @Vancan19

Sylvan Lake to host 4th annual International Powwow Oct. 18-20

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