Neepawa Celebrates Local Indigenous Culture With Dance, Food, Story, and Craft

Bigger and even more diverse than last year, Indigenous Culture Day in Neepawa incorporated not only teachings and traditional dance but also crafting, cooking, and a closer look at the drums and regalia of the dancers. The event was held to recognise National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, but also as a part of Culture Days, offering a hands-on opportunity for people to interact with indigenous art, culture, and craft.

Elders and Pow Wow Drummers and Dancers from Ebb and Flow and Rolling River First Nations travelled to Neepawa to present to students from the local schools as well as members of the public. While last year due to Covid restrictions the event was held on school grounds, this year it was at The Flats, an easily accessible location near the centre of town.

Again this year, Elder Darren Mousseau took on the role of Master of Ceremonies, and invited his father to deliver the opening prayer, who also took the opportunity to explain the significance of the tobacco. Deputy Mayor Brian Hedley brought greetings from the town as well as a gift of tobacco for Elder Mousseau.

Before beginning the pow wow demonstration, Mousseau offered some teachings particularly for the assembled students. Mousseau’s informal style of presentation encouraged a great deal of engagement from everyone in attendance, and as he introduced the different styles of pow wow dance he took questions from attendees, from how long it takes to put on the regalia to what his favourite hockey team is. (It’s the Winnipeg Jets, of course.)

Following the pow wow demonstration, the crowd broke into smaller groups and rotated through several stations with hands-on crafting such as beading, bannock making, and a collaborative art project alongside lessons and question and answer sessions with many volunteers from Ebb and Flow and Rolling River First Nations. Mousseau’s father also sat down with some of the groups and shared some of the impact of residential schools.

Organiser Yvonne Sisley indicated she was thrilled with how the day went and plans to continue the event annually. In the future, she says, she hopes even more members of the public will feel welcome to attend alongside the students.

The entire program was repeated in the afternoon to enable attendance by as many people as possible.