Journey tells us what pow wow is all about (31 photos)

First Nations people and guests gathered over the weekend to attend the Garden River First Nation Annual Traditional Pow Wow held in Garden River at the band’s pow wow grounds off Point Charles Road.

The Friday-to-Sunday event included a variety of Ojibwa and other First Nations traditional elements including music, dancing, food, crafts, and attire.

Experienced pow wow dancer Journey Trudeau-Fox, 7, from Wikwemikong (who likes to write her name with a heart next to it) summed up what the event was about.

“Pow Wow is about being here with family, dancing, and celebrating our culture,” she said, with a bit of help from her mom standing beside her.

The 2015 GRFN Pow Wow was “a little bit different than usual” as Garden River decided to change from its regular strictly traditional-style pow wow of recent years and mixed in competition-style pow wow elements, said community events coordinator Justin Perrault, who was in charge of the event.

Instead of fully moving to a competition-style pow wow Perrault’s event team had “dance competition specials,” with smaller than average cash prizes and judging which is not as scrupulous. 

The idea was “to get the community around here to feel what it’s like to (have a) contest. They can either continue ... next year or go back to traditional (style pow wows)," said Perrault.

Charlene White, of Whitefish Bay, a mother who attended and makes traditional regalia for her three daughters and travels with them to different pow wows, said that although “some of the elders prefer the traditional (style)” she thinks that the competition elements, in the way they entice people to attend, help keep up tradition as pow wows, for her, are about “bringing people together”. 

“Competition helps the visitors that are travelling. People come from far away so when they dance and win a prize it’s usually monetary so it helps with the gas,” said White.

White described a “pow wow circuit” where some families spend every weekend traveling from event to event across North America competing for prizes, which are often $1,000, or more and often made possible by funds generated from First Nations Casinos.

Families came from all over Ontario, Michigan, and further to attend the Garden River event.

There were four Grand Entries over the three days of the event and “dance competition special” prizes of $50-$500 in the categories: Men’s Traditional, Grass, and Fancy, and Women’s Traditional, Jingle, and Fancy. 

Perrault estimated about 450 people attended while about 75 dancers and 30 vendor booths participated, an increase from last year, at least in part because of the dance competition elements. 

MC Joel Syrette hosted the event. The host drum was the Whitefish Bay Singers, Head Veteran was Philip Moore, and Mike Hodgson performed Fire Keeper duties.

(PHOTO: Left to Right: Sierra White, Mariah White, Lorralene Whiteye, and Kianna white pose at the 2015 Garden River First Nation Annual Traditional Pow Wow. Whiteye is the cousin of the three other girls who are sisters. Mother Charlene White (not pictured) did most of the work making their regalia. Jeff Klassen for SooToday)