Living different cultures
The dance is known as the grass dance, and of course, the Creator has gifted some dancers. It’:s these wonderful dancers who can make you feel as if you were standing in the meadow watching the grass sway. Another favourite of the many pow wow dances is the ’chicken dance’. This dance is perhaps the most distinguished of all the dances, when a dancer portrays the same movements as a wild prairie chicken strutting for his ladies. This weekend, Ministikwan Lake had a large contingency of observers and dancers as well as several drum groups competing for the prize money in the annual Flying Dust Pow Wow located in Meadow Lake. If you have never experienced a pow wow, don’t be shy. Observers are welcome and be sure to take the Grand Entry, this is where the dignitaries and all the dancers come together setting the stage for the celebrations for both the healing and competitive dancers. Nowhere else in Canada, except the First Nations, will you find the vivid colour and elegance of regalia coming together portraying an almost mystical experience. The dancers outfits often take years to put together. Each year a piece or two may be added usually with the help of family members either sewing, doing bead work building bustles or stitching together porcupine hair to form a head piece. Where would the dancers be without the drummers? Each drumming group has up to 12 or so drummers all sitting around a large floor drum where each member not only plays the drum, but sings for the dancers. The whole program is a sight to behold. If you thought you had to travel the globe to find mysticism in people, you are wrong, it’s right here in your own backyard waiting for you to discover. Perhaps in the near future Ministikwan Lake will once again host a world class pow wow. |
