All welcome at the Silver Lake Pow Wow

Sep 02, 2010

Photo:  Silver Lake Pow Wow emcee Mitch Shewell, head male female dancers Bernard and Tammy Nelson from Port Hope and Nippising First Nations and arena director Danka Brewer

The 17th Annual Silver Pow Wow, which was held at Silver Lake Provincial Park on August 28 & 29, attracted Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people from far and wide to share and enjoy ceremonies, dances, food and festivities. Traditionally held to carry on commerce and match making and to trade the four sacred medicines - cedar, sage, sweet grass and tobacco, traditional Pow Wows are now held primarily as a way for Aboriginal friends and family to meet.

Pow Wows have been going on since time immemorial and according to Danka Brewer, the arena manager at this year’s Pow Wow, “Today they are as important, if not more important than those held before contact because of the fact that we are now more dispersed. Here we can come together to get the traditional teachings, customs, and languages.”

The Silver Lake Pow Wow is a traditional rather than a competitive Pow Wow, where everyone dances and sings together and learns from one another. “Danka continued, “There is real sense of community here with opportunities for mentorship, since certain members of the community who know the teachings, dances, songs and language can pass them on to others.”On Saturday afternoon when I visited, an Honour Song was sung, a ceremonial tribute paid to the teachings of someone present or to those of someone who has passed away. The particular Honour song I witnessed was for Running Wolf, a Lakota Dakota Sioux who lived in Kingston and did a lot of work with the local community and the Katarokwi Native Friendship Centre in Kingston, and who passed away a number of years ago. A drum that he made was played during the song.

A blanket dance was held for the Pow Wow Committee where four members of the community carried the blanket and were joined by a warrior who danced alongside them. Visitors placed donations in the blanket, which helped pay transportation fees for visiting drummers and dancers and to cover other related Pow Wow costs.

Among the highlights of this year’s Pow Wow was a set of dances performed by visiting Aztec dancers from Mexico, who were arrayed in golden regalia and headdresses made from pheasant feathers. The dancers entered the sacred circle with one of them blowing a conch shell, and before each dance, its meaning was explained to the audience. Their final dance was a fire dance dating from the Spanish conquest, which represented the self-immolation of an Aztec chief as he prayed that his people and culture would survive. The audience was enthralled by the dancers’ energetic and impressive performance.

Danka Brewer, whose Aboriginal name is White Bear Woman, sits on the Pow Wow committee and has helped organize the Pow Wow for years.

She said, “The best way to find out about a traditional Pow Wow is to come and participate. You are guaranteed to make five new friends and every time you come that will grow.” She continued, “A lot of people mistakenly think that Pow Wows are only for native people, which is not the case. They are open to everyone. When the Creator made the world he made four races of man, not one and so we celebrate that and everyone is welcome.”

For information contact Danka Brewer at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. She is also on facebook under Danka Brewer.