By Bryan Eneas

On the Powwow Trail: Protocol of the Arbour

Jul 10, 2017 | 11:57 AM

The sound of drums echo through the powwow arbour. The smell of burning sage and campfire drifts around the James Smith Cree Nation. 

Nearby, “golden aged” traditional dancer Alvin Sangret sits outside his tent smoking a cigarette in front of the ashes of a long-dead fire. He’s been dancing since he was a small child. Over his life he has learned the protocols of powwow from Elders.

“It might seem to people like it’s fun and games, but it’s not,” Sangret said. 

Dancers who enter the arbour must treat the grounds like a sacred lodge. A pipe ceremony is hosted at the start of each day and dancers dance in prayer. Some might pray for those sick or in danger, Sangret said he prays for the children and the Elders because “the people in the middle” can look after themselves.

The weight of the event carries special stipulations. A new dancer runs the gauntlet before he or she may perform in the arbour.

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A traditional feast, including prayers is held. During the event the dancer must give away personal possessions. This procedes an initiation ceremony where the new dancer is escorted into the arbour by another who dances the same style.

Protocol, however, extends beyond initiation. Sangret said dancers often chose to offer sacrifices in the form of fasting, or through attendence at sweat lodges prior to a powwow. Everything a dancer wears also carries significance, and it’s up to he or she to learn the meanings behind.

When Sangret enters the arbour, he wears a white buffalo headdress.

“I never thought nothing of it when I got it, because it’s just regalia, until I started learning about it,” he said. “It used to be long ago, the man wearing that headdress used to be the highest of the warrior society.”

Though there are protocols ever dancer must follow, the powwow arbour is a place for everyone. Sangret said there are a few dances which are open to the public like the intertribal, a communal dance.

As James Smith’s annual traditional powwow winds down, Sangret has his eye on attending the One Arrow Traditional Powwow, which is scheduled for July 14 and 15 in One Arrow, east of Rosthern.

Bryan.Eneas@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @BryanEneas