More than 80 dancers took part in three days of dancing at the 13th-annual Weechi-It-Te-Win pow-wow here last Friday to Sunday.
The pow-wow, held at the Memorial Sports Centre, attracted dancers and participants from across Northwestern Ontario and Minnesota.
“This is a time for people to celebrate their culture and to celebrate family, healing, and taking care of children,” said Weechi-It-Te-Win president Larry W. Jourdain.
An impressive line-up of dancers were led by Jourdain into the arena during Saturday night’s grand entry.
More than 300 people attended the event over the weekend, including Treaty #3 Grand Chief Leon Jourdain, Fort Frances Mayor Glenn Witherspoon, and NDP leader Howard Hampton.
The pow-wow was preceded by a number of traditional native ceremonies throughout the week.
“It’s a team approach. We try to have our spring ceremony in conjunction with our pow-wow,” noted Dylan Simard, a member of one of the committees organizing the event.
All residents were invited to the pow-wow, reflecting the Weechi-It-Te-Win Learning and Training Centre’s goal to become an accepted component to the whole community.
“Our elders have expected us to make our organization more culturally competent or congruent,” said Jourdain.
Organizers had been preparing for the event since January, with several committees set up to prepare for each aspect of the event.
“This is what it’s all about, we’re giving back to all our community people,” stressed Simard. “It’s open to everybody and everybody helps out.”