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Powwow at Fredericton High School gives students a chance to dance — and learn

Members from the Indigenous communities joined students at the Fredericton High School powwow in May.

Second annual powwow emceed by Sitansisk dancer Possesom Paul

CBC News ·
A group of teenage girls sit around a big drum, holding up sticks and singing.
When Ann Paul saw a group of young women drumming, she told them how proud she was. 'You don't often see only girls on the big drum,' she said. 'It was beautiful. They were not taught to be afraid to do it. That’s what I loved about it.' (Ann Paul/CBC)

This is part of a series called Ann's Eye, featuring the work of Ann Paul, a Wolastoqey content creator. You can see more Ann's Eye pieces by clicking here.

Inside the gymnasium at Fredericton High School last week, Sitansisk First Nation dancer Possesom Paul asked students if they could name any tribes in the Wabanaki Confederacy. 

Hands shot up. Throughout the rest of the powwow, Paul, known for co-directing Pisuwin for Atlantic Ballet Canada, explained what was happening — what a grass dance was, for example, or why people are called to the drum — because they remember their mother's heartbeat inside the womb. 

"He explains everything to everybody in the audience," said Ann Paul, who attended the event. "That's why he's a really good emcee."

WATCH | Students dance and sing at FHS powwow:

Ann's Eye: Step inside an N.B. high school’s powwow

6 months ago
Duration 2:52
Indigenous students at Fredericton High School put together their second annual powwow, where there was drumming, dancing and lots of learning.

Indigenous students at the school organized the second annual powwow, which included Bilijk First Nation (Kingsclear) Chief Gabriel Atwin.

Scroll through the photos and watch the video to see more.

A man wearing colourful, Indigenous clothing stands inside a gymnasium with a faux eagle on his shoulder and holds a flag. More people holding flags line up behind him.
Biljk First Nation Chief Gabriel Atwin carried a flag at the Fredericton High School powwow. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A group of children wearing colourful Indigenous clothing dance in a gymnasium.
It's important to have days to celebrate Indigenous culture at high schools, Ann Paul said, so students can learn about each other. (Ann Paul/CBC)
People gather in pairs inside a gymnasium for an Indigenous potato dance.
Students got a chance to try the potato dance, which involves two people holding a potato between their foreheads. (Ann's Eye/CBC)
Two people wearing colourful ribbon skirts dance in a gymnasium as students watch from the bleachers.
In addition to watching traditional dances, students themselves got a chance to dance — especially when emcee Possesom Paul announced spot dances, which give dancers the opportunity to win prizes. (Ann's Eye/CBC)
A line of young girls in colourful clothing with long braids down their backs stand in a gymnasium.
There were a few different flags at the powwow, including the Wabanaki Confederacy flag and a residential school survivors' flag. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A person wearing red, yellow and orange traditional Indigenous dress dances in a gymnasium.
It was a joyful day filled with laughter, Ann Paul said of the Fredericton High School powwow. (Ann Paul/CBC)
Two women with long, dark hair face each other smiling with a potato between their foreheads.
It's hard not to smile during a potato dance, a common activity at powwows. (Ann Paul/CBC)
Two lines of people wearing colourful Indigenous clothing hold flags inside a gymnasium.
High school student Purity Moore of Bilijk First Nation helped organize the powwow. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A graphic drawing shows an Indigenous woman holding a camera up to her eye.
(CBC News Graphics)

Ann's Eye

Photographer Ann Paul brings an Indigenous lens to stories from First Nations communities across New Brunswick. Click here or on the image below to see more of her work. 

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