Winnipeg organizations offer 240 newcomers chance to experience Indigenous culture at Manito Ahbee powwow

Around 240 newcomers from across the globe attended the 18th annual Manito Ahbee powwow in Winnipeg on Saturday to experience and learn about Indigenous culture.

They filled four Winnipeg Transit buses to attend the powwow at Assiniboia Downs, which began on Friday and runs until Sunday.

Dalila Lokwa, originally from Congo, attended the event with her mother and 18-month-old daughter, Shamsa Yahyaoui. She said it was their first time seeing a powwow.

"It's a nice experience for me. I loved it so much," Lokwa told CBC News.

"I thought of the Brazilian Carnival. It was so colourful and beautiful."

Her mother Shamsa Muhammad, originally from Uganda, said she loved the powwow.

"It was nice to be here and to talk to many different people."

The trip was organized thanks to a partnership by Mosaic Newcomer Family Resource Network, Immigration Partnership Winnipeg and the Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba (IRCOM).

It's the second year in a row veteran powwow dancer Clayton Sandy extended the invitation to the organizations to attend Manito Ahbee. He says this year, nearly twice the number of people signed up.

"Many of them have never seen a powwow before," he told CBC News.

"I really like the newcomers today because they're really energetic, they want change, and they want to work with anybody."

Sandy, a member of Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, said some newcomers have pointed out similarities between their cultures after experiencing the powwow. Workshops were also scheduled to explain the powwow dances and outfits for the newcomers, he said.

As the child of the Sixties Scoop and parents who went to residential school, he says he shares the trauma of displacement that many newcomers also carry. He sees the powwow as an opportunity to build bridges between newcomers and Indigenous people.

"Until we start building relationships and partnerships — nothing changes," said Sandy. "We're educating a lot of people but we're also passing this down to our children."

Shereen Denetto, executive director of IRCOM, agreed that the powwow was a chance to educate and showcase Indigenous culture in its glory.

"They don't really have good information about the strengths, traditions and customs of Indigenous people," she told CBC News.

'Profound impact'

The families who attended the Manito Ahbee powwow last year spoke about it for months afterward, she said.

"They had no idea that there were these living, vibrant communities all around them, so it has a profound impact."

Mihret Tekie said she waited for weeks to attend the powwow and brought her kids and cousin along.

The refugee from Sudan, who is originally from Eritrea, said it was her first time attending one. She was curious to see the dancers and their outfits.

"We're a part of them here in Canada, so we wanted to know what the culture looks like," she told CBC News.

Manito Ahbee runs until Monday and everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.

Tekie said she's thankful to the organizations for giving newcomers the opportunity to experience the powwow.

"It's so fun."