20th annual Silver Lake Pow Wow

Aug 28, 2014

Although organizers of the traditional Silver Lake Pow Wow did not mark this year’s event with any special 20-year anniversary tributes, they were pleased with the turnout.

Organizer Trudy Knapp said the ongoing aim of the Pow Wow is to honour the native identity of off-reserve Aboriginals in the community and it is an opportunity for them to embrace their roots. The event continues to attract natives from all over Ontario and Quebec from as far away as Manawaki, Curve Lake near Peterborough, Toronto, North Bay, and Ottawa.

Over 400 people arrived early on the first day of the Pow Wow and Knapp said organizers were expecting roughly 2500 over the entire weekend. One major attraction is the grand entry that occurs at noon on both days at the main arbor. It introduces all the different types of native dancers, and also includes raising the flags and eagle staffs and awakening the drum that calls the spirits into the grounds.

This year Leslie St. Pierre was head male dancer; Christina Kennedy, head female dancer; Sharpe Dopler, head veteran; Larry McDermott, elder; arena director was Paul Carl; Danka Brewer, emcee; Jeremy Davies, host drum and Chris Westbury and Alex Brewer, fire keepers.

I attended the grand entry on Saturday where head veteran Sharpe Dopler spoke of the significance of what it means when an eagle feather is dropped during the dancing at the grand entry. “Eagle feathers are very special and it is a great honour to be gifted one and given the responsibility of caring for it. When an eagle feather drops off of someone’s regalia, for us it is a symbol of a warrior passing because commonly in the past eagle feathers were given to warriors for feats of bravery. So when a feather drops there is a ceremony we have to perform when we pick it up. We offer it some tobacco and a prayer and we pick it up with an eagle fan to take it off the earth. Then the head veteran decides what happens with the feather. In this instance I chose to give it back to the person who dropped it.”

At one point during the grand entry non-native members of the community were invited into the circle to join the dancers, and many who attended did so.

Sharpe said that the Silver Lake Pow Wow is one of her favorites and said it is one that is known for being very open, warm and accepting, which she said is “something that you do not find everywhere.” This year’s Pow Wow included 17 vendors selling all kinds of native arts and crafts, and a canteen, plus the numerous traditional dances and other ceremonies. For natives and non-natives alike the event offers up a great opportunity to observe and partake in the beauty of a traditional Pow Wow on the shores of Silver Lake.