Jingle Dress healing dance featured at Pow Wow

By Rick Garrick

TORONTO—The 10th Annual George Brown College Four Sacred Colours Pow Wow featured a jingle dress healing dance and a drum presentation on March 24.

“That [jingle] dress has been given to the [Anishinabe] people to do that healing work,” says Luanna Shirt, a volunteer with the Pow Wow. “So these women were given tobacco to carry their prayers up for people who have sicknesses and worries or anything. They are asking for those healing prayers to be lifted up by that jingle dress dancer.”

Pauline Shirt, knowledge and wisdom keeper at the Pow Wow, says the jingle dress healing dance has been held for about six years.

“It’s healing for everybody,” Pauline says. “It has really multiplied and people just come and get healed.”

Pauline appreciates how the Pow Wow is held at the George Brown College Waterfront Campus on “beautiful Lake Ontario”.

“We sang to her and we spoke to her and we acknowledged her because she is going through a lot,” Pauline says about Lake Ontario. “And the big drum that was given to the students, that is an acknowledgement of all the hard work that each and every one of us have done, but also bringing a whole new life force to everybody.”

Alex Jacobs, wisdom keeper at the Pow Wow, says he helped to initiate the drum.

“I gave it a name — I don’t know if they are going to keep it,” Jacobs says. “So it was a good day. I met lots of people that I knew and met again after a long time away for some of them.”

Jacobs adds that there was a very good turnout for this year’s Pow Wow.

“I think it’s a larger turnout every year,” Jacobs says. “I see many different nations coming in here and they are amazed at the friendliness that greets them when they come in here. We tend to try and be peaceful to all our brothers and sisters throughout the world and what better place can you do it than in an educational setting where you can begin with the little ones that you see crawling around the floor, mother’s carrying and grandmothers bouncing babies on their knees.”

Deanne Hupfield, the Pow Wow’s head female dancer, says the opportunity to participate in cultural events such as the Pow Wow is empowering because all of her grandparents went to residential school.

“So knowing my culture and dancing and participating in community events like this has really helped me strengthen my identity,” Hupfield says. “And helped me love myself and heal from the intergenerational trauma.”

Anthony Gladue, the Pow Wow’s head male dancer who is from Alberta, says he has been dancing since he was six-years-old.

“Pauline Shirt is a really close friend of mine,” Gladue says. “Every time I dance for her, it reminds her of home which is in Alberta as well. So she invites me out and I love just to dance.”

Luanna says the Pow Wow was a “really beautiful start” to the Pow Wow season.

“We are into spring now and this is something [that] is so beautiful to see,” Luanna says. “Even though it is an indoor Pow Wow, it’s the start of the season. Everyone is raring to go.”

Luanna appreciates how the Pow Wow is held in a building with large windows looking out onto Lake Ontario.

“So many hundreds of people come through here,” Luanna says. “And we have the Sacred Fire right there [outside the window].”