Nogdawindamin Family and Community Services’ in-person Traditional Pow Wow a great success

By Rick Garrick

SUDBURY — Nogdawindamin Family and Community Services’ Traditional Pow Wow was a success with some 120 registered dancers on March 26 at the Holiday Inn in Sudbury, Ont.

“The pow wow went very well — we were anticipating that we were going to get a very large crowd and we did,” says Teresa McGregor, traditional Knowledge Keeper for the east at Nogdawindamin Family and Community Services. “We had people from near and far; we had people from Quebec, we had people from out west up towards Thunder Bay, so we had a lot of visitors come to the pow wow.”

Jonathan Boyer-Nolan, communications manager at Nogdawindamin Family and Community Services, says they also provided a live stream of the Traditional Pow Wow over the Nogdawindamin Family and Community Services Facebook page for families and communities to participate virtually.

“Because we recognize that so many people are really wanting to get back to in-person events, especially our cultural events, we wanted to provide the opportunity for some of our family and community [citizens] in our west regions to still participate,” Boyer-Nolan says. “That was the first time we were able to do a live event over Facebook and we think it was very successful. We had a lot of people viewing, a lot of engagement and it was really successful.”

Kerry Francis, CEO at Nogdawindamin Family and Community Services, says it was a pleasure to attend the Traditional Pow Wow, noting that their Anishinaabe Aadziwin team partnered with the Urban Indigenous Sacred Circle – Ngo Dwe Waanzizjik, comprised of Indigenous-led organizations in the Sudbury region, to host their first in-person event since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“After two long years with the recent pandemic, we were honoured to see all the dancers and families enjoying an in-person event,” Francis says. “Our team encouraged the use of masks in the large gathering spaces and ensured that health and safety were this event’s main priority. We look forward to resuming many of our more significant events in the coming months.”

The Traditional Pow Wow featured Head Dancers Tracey Cleland and Wes Cleland, Junior Head Dancers Paungbiisohn Trudeau and Pahquis Trudeau, co-emcees Brandon Petahtegoose and Darren McGregor, invited drums Whitefish Jrs. and Bear Creek and head Veteran Will Morin.

“About 75 dancers came through the Grand Entry,” McGregor says. “The crowd was so big that there was only standing room. People couldn’t even get into the actual room because it was very busy.”

McGregor says they asked everybody who was attending to wear a mask at the Traditional Pow Wow.

“We had masks provided for everybody,” McGregor says. “We had hand sanitizer placed in numerous rooms in the hotel as well.”

Boyer-Nolan says some of the participants were saying “it was about time” that they could gather together again.

“For so many people, because of the pandemic, we weren’t able to see each other face-to-face, including family, and that includes our family along the pow wow trail that we weren’t able to see in the last two years,” Boyer-Nolan says. “So a lot of it was like that family reunion feel.”

Boyer-Nolan says some of the participants he spoke to from Sault Ste. Marie were on their first family vacation since the pandemic hit.

“Just even staying in a hotel with a pool was really nice for a lot of our families,” Boyer-Nolan says. “And getting to see the arts and crafts with our vendors, it was just nice having that energy back in our vendor room too. We had a separate area for all of our vendors.”

McGregor says participants were also happy to hear the drums again and dance at the Traditional Pow Wow.

“During Grand Entry, a lot of people felt such an overwhelming emotion,” McGregor says. “People felt like they wanted to cry because they were so happy that they can hear those drums and dancers and feel that pow wow again.”

Boyer-Nolan says he also had that emotional reaction during the Grand Entry.

“My eyes started to tear up,” Boyer-Nolan says. “Looking around the room, you could actually feel that emotion being so powerful from the drum, the jingles, the bells on our regalia. It reminded me of the importance of our gatherings and being able to gather again — I know a lot of people are really looking forward to some of our future events that we will be having in the coming months.”