North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre 15th Maamwi Kindaaswin Pow Wow a learning treat for the senses

By Kelly Anne Smith

NORTH BAY — The beat of Turtle Island at the 15th North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre’s Maamwi Kindaaswin Pow Wow brought thousands to Lee Park on Anishinaabe territory to gather and dance in celebration of Indigenous culture.

Ottawa River Singers, The Burning Plains Singers, Duchesney Creek Singers, and Mukwa Doodem from St. Joseph Scollard Hall performed as dancers in bright, twirling, jingling regalia circled the arena from June 10 to 11, and Evelyn McLeod and Elwood Aswaske were Head Elders. Indigenous artists offered their creations and many folks lined up for delicious Indigenous food. A community feast was held on Saturday with a giveaway Sunday.

Each morning, a Sunrise Ceremony began the pow wow, which Executive Director of the North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre Kathy Fortin calls a beautiful way to begin the day.

“The ceremonies starting at four in the morning with the Sunrise Ceremony is really something, with good attendance, too. It’s a learning.”

Maamwi Kindaaswin means learning together in Anishinaabemowin.

The team of Firekeepers were up early, too, staying close to the teepee of the Sacred Fire to ensure protocols are carried out in the right way. Alexander Hummel, an 18-year-old from Nipissing First Nation, says there are many teachings that come with being a Firekeeper.

“You are supposed to learn as [an] oshkaabewis, as a helper. You go for a couple of years until you feel that you are ready and the others around you feel like you are ready to start to become your own Firekeeper. This is my first time actually. I’m not oshkaabewis anymore, I’m now actually a Firekeeper,” he explains. “Here, we are taught to say aaniin to the fire, which means hello, when you first come in. Then you say baamaapii, which means until I see you again, when you leave… Whenever I do my shifts, I come in and say aaniin. And I say my clan, and my name, where I’m from and put it in the fire and then I say baamaapii when I leave. I am of the Marten Clan. We are warriors and workers. ”

Four wooden plates are laid with tobacco, sweet grass, cedar, and sage. A pinch of each is given to the fire with gratefulness for a good Maamwi Kindaaswin Pow Wow with friends and family.

On the rotating shift of Firekeeper is Tyler Dokis of Dokis First Nation.

“You have to keep the area safe and keep the area clean. And you treat that fire like a life. It has its own being. There are teachings. You have to have the knowledge of it,” Dokis explains. “Pow wow – there are elements of the ceremonial way of thinking about things in pow wow. The way you go in a circle, people’s sacred items, and the teachings behind people’s regalia and how they got there… For me, it’s a gathering like a celebration so the fire is that center ceremonial piece to be maintained with medicines available and having the smudge available for people.”

Fortin gave appreciation to the Maawi Kindaaswin committee saying lead Jen Sequin does a fantastic job as community engagement continues to rise from last year’s estimated 5,000 pow wow attendees.

“The attendance is about a thousand people more this year. Last year, was a great year. This year’s like a great, great year! It’s fantastic! We had some visitors from India as part of the Rotary Club. They came in and got to see what we have to offer here. It was really good to share some of our culture with them.”

Fortin is grateful for the sponsorship for the Maawi Kindaaswin Pow Wow.

“An event of this magnitude could not happen without the sponsorship of many of our vendors we use on a daily basis. It was a really good response from sponsors and a great vendor turnout of fifty craft and food vendors.”

Kathy Fortin can’t wait for next year’s Maamwi Kindaaswin, cheerfully saying the pow wow is going to be bigger and better.

“We’ll be celebrating our fiftieth year for the North Bay Friendship Centre. We are going to up it a little bit more to celebrate the 50 years of being the Friendship Centre here in North Bay,” she exclaims. “We like people to come in, Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to come here and learn and see what we’re all about – the dancing, the singing, and obviously, the food, too!”