Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory Anishinaabekwe recognized for volunteer efforts
By Rick Garrick
OTTAWA — Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory’s Dolores Peltier-Corkey was recently recognized for her volunteer efforts with the Ottawa Indigenous Children and Youth Pow Wow during the Community Gathering on Nov. 6 at the Ottawa Conference and Event Centre. Peltier-Corkey, tenant relations officer at Gignul Non-Profit Housing Corporation, was recognized during the Recognizing and Honouring Community presentation at the Community Gathering, which was hosted by the Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition and the UAS-Ottawa Steering Committee.
“It was a recognition, it’s honouring the volunteer work that I’ve been doing in the Indigenous community here in Ottawa and it was particularly relating to the Children and Youth Pow Wow that has been going on since the early days of 1997,” Peltier-Corkey says. “I’ve been promoting this pow wow for over 20 years. I started out as a volunteer first in 1997 when I first moved here.”
Peltier-Corkey says the Children and Youth Pow Wow was about honouring the children and youth and teaching them about their culture.
“As we live in an urban setting, we wanted to give that opportunity to the children and the youth,” Peltier-Corkey says. “It was always at the [Odawa Native] Friendship Centre, but then as the years went on, we outgrew that space.”
Peltier-Corkey says they then began holding the pow wow at Carleton University.
“We had a partnership with Carleton University and that space was a huge gymnasium, which brought in vendors, which brought in information booths,” Peltier-Corkey says. “So, over the 20 years, we grew from using the gymnasium at the Friendship Centre to having partnerships with non-Indigenous organizations.”
Peltier-Corkey says she decided to retire from her volunteer efforts with the pow wow after the 2024 pow wow, the last year it was held. The pow wow had returned in 2023 after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We didn’t have one this year, but hopefully maybe the Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition can look at seeing how they can support this moving forward, because I think it was missed this year for sure,” Peltier-Corkey says. “The [pow wow] was well attended, throughout the years — on the Saturday or Sunday we would have 500 people in the gymnasium at Carleton University.”
Peltier-Corkey says the Community Gathering was an elegant evening with a very formal setting.
“I did give a few words and after that, there was a Hoop Dancer that was there to honour me specifically for all the work that I’ve done,” Peltier-Corkey says. “It was so appropriate because working with drum groups, children, and youth who have grown up in those events, it was quite the honour to receive that honour and recognition.”
Peltier-Corkey says she received a Christi Belcourt blanket during the Recognizing and Honouring Community presentation.
“It was very beautiful, especially hearing the drums and just reminiscing about those days when the pow wows were happening for the children,” Peltier-Corkey says. “That was so perfect for me because that’s what I worked for, that’s what I lived for in terms of every year making sure that the children are hearing those drums and the youth are hearing the drums, the adults are hearing the drums.”
Peltier-Corkey says she knew the Hoop Dancer who performed, noting that she has met many dancers, drummers, and vendors over the years at the pow wow.
“I like to become involved in my community,” Peltier-Corkey says. “I’ve always been a volunteer and I just enjoy not just my work that I do here (at the Gignul Non-Profit Housing Corporation) every day, but also out in the community.”
Information about the Community Gathering is posted online.