Georgian College held its 17th annual Pow Wow at its Barrie Campus on Saturday with the theme of ‘Honouring the Land’.
The annual celebration is one of the first events on the Pow Wow trail and brings Indigenous communities together from across the province each year.
Saturday was no different, as there was plenty of traditional drumming, dancing, vendors, and competitions among other activities.
“Pow Wow is a community gathering. We get together to dance, to listen to the drum, which is the heartbeat of our nation,” said Vanessa Kennedy, special events coordinator for Indigenous services at Georgian College. “It’s a chance to see old friends [and] alumni that come back year after year.”
The Pow Wow was organized by the college’s students, who met with Kennedy every week to prepare for Saturday.
They also helped pick the theme.
“Honouring the land is important to the students because it’s something that we have to think about on a daily basis,” added Kennedy. “We need to think about [previous] generations, your next generation, how that’s going to affect how you live on this land and how you’re going to affect future generations, and we are all entitled to look after this land together.”
Sparrow McLeod, a first-year student in the Indigenous Community and Social Development Program, helped organize the Pow Wow and helped choose its ‘Honouring the Land’ theme.
“Last year there was barely any snow and it just shows how much impact humans made on Earth,” said McLeod. “We only get one Earth in this life and I think it’s really important for Indigenous people and non-Indigenous people to know why we honour the land that we live on.”
McLeod also grew up on Neyaashiinigmiing 27, a reserve north of Owen Sound, and hopes to become an ambassador for Indigenous women.
“Growing up on the reserve is a really different experience,” recalled McLeod. “A lot of children go through mental health or suicide or the drug epidemic, and I think it’s really important that we need people from our First Nations representing for our youth.”
