Cega'kin Nakoda powwow aims to empower youth in its return

Last year Carry the Kettle First Nation couldn't host its annual powwow due to financial constraints but this year, Cega'kin Prevention Services took it upon themselves to bring the powwow spirit back. 

Tanya Tootoosis-Haywahe, director of Cega'kin Prevention Services, which provides child and family services, said last year the community "lost out on that power of spirit and good energy that dancers bring."

This year's gathering took place this week in the community about 100 kilometres east of Regina. 

"That to us, that's our accomplishment," she said.

"We're bringing that back to the nation." 

Krysten Saulteaux, a Cega'kin Prevention Services finance worker, said this year's theme — empowering the youth — was to honour the children from the community and visiting ones as well. 

"We need to honour the young children just as much as we need to honour our elders, because we're a circle and we're whole together," she said.

The powwow's grand entry on Wednesday kicked off with young people at the centre of it. 

Youths carried the flags. The junior MC called each category in one by one; the junior arena director made sure all proper protocols were being followed; and the junior stickman was ensuring everyone's safety in the arena while they danced.    

"By putting those children in these roles it is empowering them and their identity," Saulteaux said.

"[We're empowering] their spirit and bringing them together to preserve our Indigenous nations, our cultures and our language." 

Since Cega'kin Prevention Services started in 2016, it has worked to bring children back to the community, reconnecting them with their families, and their culture and language. Saulteaux said they invited kids who are in care to come to the powwow. 

"We have kids in care, they don't know where they're from. They don't know their history, they don't know their language or their family or their connection," she said. 

"By bringing them here to this, to our community, to their community, they're able to connect with their family and their kinship."

Tootoosis-Haywahe said youths who were involved in the planning and execution of the powwow all learned valuable lessons. 

"Teaching them is the next step because they're going to be the ones that are going to be the adults and doing all of these jobs and having these expectations one day," she said. 

Son's chance to dance

Brittany Strongeagle from Carry the Kettle brought her three-year-old to dance for the first time. She said it made her happy to see her son dance for the first time in their home nation.  

She said she felt the powwow organizers did a good job. 

"I think that's good that they're making it about the youth and the kids," she said, adding it was nice to see youths taking on responsibilities adults normally would. 

"It's new and it's exciting and it's empowering for them." 

She said she hopes in the future the powwow committees adopt the idea to involve youth more in the powwow circle, because they are the future leaders. 

Strongeagle said she had been shocked last year when she learned the powwow was cancelled. She said in previous years the powwow felt a lot busier, but there was still a good turn out. 

"I'm glad it's back on," she said.

"I'm looking forward to it being back next year."