Elmwood High Powwow

Our Leadership Youth Committee is organizing a traditional powwow to celebrate and honor Aboriginal culture through music, song and dance for our school. The event will include a traditional smudging ceremony, dance presentations and a feast.

Despite our school's great diversity in culture, we have never been host to a powwow event. Such an event would allow all members of the community an occasion to gain experience and exposure to Aboriginal culture and help celebrate the cultural diversity within our community. As well, it would provide youth with an opportunity to participate in a project that develops leadership in sharing cultural heritage. The youth committee, consisting of our Aboriginal Youth Leadership Committee and CCD Peer Leaders Network, are involved in organizing many aspects of the event. Students will meet with elders and community members and promote awareness around the history and significance of Powwows to Aboriginal peoples. They will prepare classroom presentations and informational bulletin boards in the school. Students will also play a large role in organizing the preparation and service of traditional foods for the feast, which will include bannock and bison stew.

Update (June 27, 2012)

Elmwood’s First Pow Wow
In the morning of May 16th, Elmwood High School students attended a number of different awareness and celebration presentations. This included the opportunity to hear from presenters such as Amnesty International, Manitoba Theatre for Young People, the University of Winnipeg Peacebuilding Project, Inuit Throat Singers, the Islamic Social Services Association, and many more. In the afternoon, Elmwood was able to host our first ever Spring Pow Wow. The event was a tremendous success with students learning a great deal about the significance of different ceremonies and traditions. In preparation, many students volunteered to organize and prepare a feast for 1000 people. Staff and students spent two days at the Tech Voc Culinary Arts Department preparing and cooking stew. Students served bannock, fruit, juice and stew for everyone in the school and all visiting guests.
The Pow Wow was held out on the outdoor field and where students gathered after the feast to listen, watch and partake. Presenters were really happy with the number of students that got up to participate in the inter-tribal dancing segments and the feedback from staff and students was very positive.
Students were encouraged to appreciate the aspects of a Pow Wow that are distinct/integral to the culture of Aboriginal peoples and to consider how the themes, songs, music, dancing and drumming connect people across cultures. Our Pow Wow event celebrated culture, relationships and the land/place that we share.
Agenda
1:15pm - 1:30 pm ~ Grand Entry Song,
Flag Song,
Victory Song
1:30pm - 2:00 pm ~ Inter-tribal dancing - everyone can come and dance with all the other dancers.
2:00pm - 2:30 pm ~ Category dances
2:30pm - 3:15 pm ~ Inter-tribal dancing and ending of Pow Wow.

Overall, the event was a great success and we are really grateful for all of the support we received in organizing the event.