‘A pow wow to remember’ series: Krista Knott
In a continued effort to lift everyone’s spirit during this time where we are all staying home, the Anishinabek News did a call out to the Anishinabek Nation to submit their fondest pow wow memory. The spring series is called: A pow wow to remember.
Some go to pow wows to see the beautiful regalia. Others go to feel the strength of the beating drum. Some go to connect with family and friends. One way or another, pow wows draw us all in for one reason or many, but above all else, it’s to come together and celebrate us and those who came before us. Our traditions. Our culture. Our language. Our authenticity and identity. While the 2021 pow wow season may be impacted by the global pandemic, let’s use our memories from pow wows past to help us maintain our strength and perseverance.
The Anishinabek News hopes this series brings you light and hope during these challenging times of uncertainty, and inspiration to keep moving forward on your journey – whatever it may be; or maybe even dance.
The 2021 Great Lakes Pow Wow Guide can be found here.
By Krista Knott, Curve Lake First Nation
Living off-reserve, it has always been important to me to come back home and share in the celebration of the pow wow, even if it was just by over-stuffing myself with an Indian taco, a scone dog and strawberry juice.
As I got older, I picked up the hobby of photography. I have never been one to love taking specific portrait pictures as I find them too staged, so I try to always focus on organic moments whether this is of people or things. So along with my appetite, I always bring my camera with me to the Curve Lake pow wow. Normally I take in the whole pow wow experience in by sitting in the shade, out of the hot autumn sun on the cold metal bleachers, and through the lens of my camera to take pictures of everyone dancing. However, this one particular pow wow in 2017, I decided to take a different approach. Instead of sitting on the top row of the stands, I took to the cool grass at foot level to get a different perspective. It is here where I captured my favourite pow wow memory. I snapped many pictures, but as time passes and my knowledge of our people and our traditions expands, this picture embodies what I believe should be the focus of our future. For far too long, our people’s movements have been restricted, not only in how we were allowed to practice our traditional dance, but also specifically where we were allowed to move throughout our traditional land. Forced on reserves and banned from practicing our culture, we were silenced and made stagnant. My favourite memory and picture is of this Jingle Dress dancer and how not only her dancing is showing movement, but with the bright beautiful happy colours her regalia is shouting out, “Look at me!”
The history of the Jingle Dress, as I understand, came to a sick woman in a dream. She was shown the dress and was told that to cure herself of her sickness she was to wear the Jingle Dress and dance and receive healing. The Jingle Dress was made, but unfortunately, she was too sick to dance on her own, so her community that originally came to watch her dance lifted her up and danced with her. After a short period of time with the support of her community and the belief in her own knowing, she was cured and was able to dance on her own and alongside those who supported her.
As Anishinaabe people, we need to return to our traditional ways in our modern world and come together to be as this Jingle Dress picture is seen. It is free, it is loud and it is proud— just as we should be. Free to move our bodies without restrictions, to be loud with our voices, and to always be proud of who we are as individuals and as a community. By coming together and supporting each other, we can all have a hand in healing our people.