By Bryan Eneas

On the powwow trail: celebrating 25 years in Muskoday

Aug 8, 2016 | 8:00 AM

Prohibitive legislation for more than 75 years seeked to eradicate the traditional cultural practices of Indigenous people in Canada. The Muskoday First Nation celebrated a milestone which in another life may have never happened; the 25th anniversary of their powwow. 

Powwow committee president Margaret Bear, said the event on Saturday, Aug. 7 was months in the making, and celebrating their anniversary was made possible by help from Muskoday leadership.

“They’re behind us 110 per cent,” she said. “Without them the powwow would not be successful.”

According to Bear, Muskoday’s Chief, Austin Bear, brought powwow back to the community in 1991. She attributed the residential school system to the events’ long absence. The loss of language equalled a general loss of culture.

Now Muskoday has dancers participating in powwows across Saskatchewan.

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“We’ve come a long way, and now (the powwow) is an annual thing we host every summer,” she said. “It’s very nice that the chief encourages it, and that we have it to celebrate each year,” Bear said.

As much as the powwow is about dancing and singing, she said it’s just as much a family gathering.

“We feel like we’re all related, so it’s like family coming together, and harmonizing and praying. Working together, and having a lot of fun,” Margaret said. “It’s like when you’re getting ready for Christmas, your family is coming home. That’s exactly what it feels like.”

An amendment to the Indian Act in 1895 made hosting cultural and ceremonial gatherings including powwow all but impossible for First Nations across Canada. A further amendment in 1914 made these gatherings punishable by jail time. In 1951 the ban was lifted, and First Nations communities across the country slowly began reintroducing these gatherings. 

Bryan.Eneas@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @BryanEneas