By Bryan Eneas

On the powwow trail: Howard Walker, Master of Ceremonies

Aug 29, 2016 | 5:16 PM

For almost 50 years, Howard Walker’s voice has been heard in many powwow arbours around Saskatchewan.

Hailing from Fort a La Corne, Walker now calls Sturgeon Lake his home. This summer he’s been back at it, announcing powwows all over Saskatchewan. At age 72, he said he hopes to keep announcing as long as he can.

“The way you feel inside that arbour, the way the dancers make you feel, the way the drum makes you feel, you have that sense of belonging. The way that song comes out at you, and says ‘you’re OK, I’m OK, we’re all OK.’ You’re on that level plane, and we belong. That’s what keeps drawing me back,” Walker said.

Walker was first exposed to powwow in 1958. He started dancing fancy bustle style and was also a bareback rodeo rider. After taking first place in both the bareback bronco and the fancy bustle categories in a single powwow, his life on the trail kicked off.

Eight years later he left rodeo to begin his announcing career after he “found out the ground was too hard.”

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After announcing a few rodeos, he was approached by Corky Rosebluff, a powwow announcer who saw potential in Walker because he announced from his heart.

Rosebluff taught Walker announcing is about knowing what to say, when to say it, how to say it, why you say it, and it all must come from inside you because nothing is written down.

Walker possesses a wealth of powwow knowledge, much of which he learned by embracing the cultures of the people he works with.

Powwow a place where all are equal

With subtle racism being exposed in Saskatchewan, Walker said he feels concerned about First Nations and non-First Nations relations. For Walker, powwow is the best way to break through boundaries.

“We have to know how to share our experiences with the other people we share this land with instead of coding our differences. This is where we can bridge that gap and create an understanding of who we are as human beings, because none of us are better than the rest, we’re all the same. That’s the feeling we get here,” he said as he gestured toward the powwow arbour in Mistawasis.

Walker said in the time he’s announced powwows he’s seen a push to go back to the traditional healing roots of the celebration.

“This is a healing celebration. It’s not a celebration where we just dance and have fun. There is also a spiritual side of this celebration, that makes you belong, that makes you want to be here. You don’t have to be here, but you want to be here,” he said.

Walker said the best examples he’s seen of that healing and wellness during powwow was at Muskoday earlier this month. Muskoday is a traditional powwow, which featured a few specials and over 700 dancers from across Canada.

“There’s a lot of people that left their wheelchairs there; a lot of people left there feeling good. People left their canes, they said I don’t need this anymore I feel good, I know where I belong,” Walker explained.

According to Walker, powwows are open for anyone to attend. The Canadian, Saskatchewan, United Nations, and American flags are all flown to welcome all peoples of the land onto the powwow grounds.

“This is not just an Indian thing, this is a wellness thing; and we need that wellness on both sides so that we can create that understanding, so that we can perhaps build a non-threatening environment for our children to grow, to play, and to pray,” Walker said.

Slowing down but still going strong

After being on the red road for so many years, Walker is starting to slow his powwow trails down. Where he would normally do 15 to 20 powwows a year, he has a total of 13 powwows to announce with a few rodeos in the fall.

Walker has family ties to the powwow trail; his granddaughter is a fancy shawl dancer, and his grandson is a traditional dancer. His powwow family is immense, with many people referring to Walker as mooshum.

“I’ve got so many strange little people… even big girls, calling me mooshum, and that is an honour for one individual to be called as such. That is what powwow announcing has earned me,” Walker said.

While his trail may be getting shorter, he’s immortalizing his legacy in a different way.

“A lot of younger MCs I’ve worked with, they’re now MCing on their own. It gives you a little bit of satisfaction when you say I had a little bit to do with what that guy’s doing, what that guy’s saying,” Walker explained.

Walker said he’s content with where he is in life right now.

“I wouldn’t want to change anything. I’ve got my partner, I’ve got my grandchildren, and I’ve got this job. To me, all my children are alive, they’re all professionals. Somebody is looking after me up there to be this lucky. Perhaps it’s the job that I do, maybe I earned something; because I give so much, I give so much from here,” Walker said, gesturing to his heart.

Bryan.Eneas@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @BryanEneas