Indian Time - A Voice from the Eastern Door

Feathers, jingles, moccasins, drummers, hand-made crafts and food were just a few sights for powwow-goers who walked through the grounds of the Akwesasne International Powwow this past weekend. The community was also celebrating the 10th anniversary of the powwow that has brought countless guests from far and wide to the A’nowara’kowa Arena on Kawehno:ke (Cornwall Island), where it has been held every year since 2000.

“We hear often enough that we have a great location, next to the St. Lawrence River, for our Powwow and the warmth that our visitors feel from Akwesasronon and all others keeps participants and spectators coming back year after year,” said Akwesasne Powwow Committee member Larry King. “Last year we surpassed the 6,000 mark for attendees and visually speaking we appeared to have duplicated that for our 10th Annual.”

The powwow is an event that celebrates Native culture and also carries a competitive component as the dancers and drum groups are competing for prizes, provided by the powwow’s many sponsors. Dancers compete in a number of categories (see winners list) including Tiny Tots, Jingle, Smoke Dance, and Shawl.

“The Powwow Committee is very satisfied with the outcome especially with our dancers, inclusive of Tiny Tots on the steady incline,” King said. “We will go to task to address the area of Drum Groups which is always an unknown until we have Drum Roll Call just before Grand Entry. Our Craft and Food Vendors are always filled very quickly well before the powwow so that’s also a good measuring stick on the interest in our powwow.”

Guests to the powwow bring blankets and lawn chairs and gather around the dance grounds to watch the talents of hundreds of Onkwehonwe people who’ve been taught the dances of their tribes. Other guests stroll down the rows of vendors where craftspeople sell everything from traditional Native music, baskets, clothing, jewelry, and artwork.

At the far end the grounds, a food section attracts people from all around. The vendors sell traditional foods like Indian tacos and buffalo burgers and many Akwesasronon and guests of the powwow wait all year to fill up on powwow food.

The committee was happy with the success of this year’s powwow and they were thankful for the community’s support. Last year, the powwow was held once again successfully in spite of the bridge crises and border issues the community was faced with.

“We are still in a crisis with the bridge and reporting situation with CBSA and while it was thought that last year’s powwow would suffer because of it, our brothers and sisters came from far and wide in support of our community to make it our biggest ever,” King said. “Our friends and neighbors from surrounding communities also braved the uncertain circumstances … The resiliency of our community and First Nations Peoples in general proved the circumstances to be a mere hiccup that will not deter us from celebrating our culture.”