It's powwow season in Atlantic Canada
Follow along on the Atlantic powwow trail this year
Have you been to a powwow yet this summer? Chances are, there's one happening in a community near you.
The Atlantic Canadian powwow circuit is a series of Indigenous-led cultural, ceremonial, and social events. These huge, well-attended events celebrate Indigenous cultures, languages, music, and dance. Competitive powwows even have large cash prizes available for the best dancers and drummers.
After two years of being held virtually due to the pandemic, powwows are finally back in person. There's one being held almost every weekend this summer across Atlantic Canada!
CBC will be traveling to many of the powwows in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick, to meet people and hear stories from behind the scenes. What kind of preparation goes into a drumming groups' rehearsal process, or crafting beautiful moccasins to sell?
Check out all Atlantic Canada powwow stories here.
To us it's important to educate [non-Indigenous people] of the Mi'kmaw ways. The celebrations that we have here at the Mawi'omi, when we do things like that, we don't disinclude anybody outside. We welcome them in, you know. It's for everybody.- Junior Peter-Paul, an elder attending the Abegweit First Nation Powwow
The Mi'kmaw word for a gathering is Mawi'omi, a word often used for powwows in Atlantic Canada. They're open to everyone.
Stay tuned for more stories from powwows all season long.
