Wowed at the Pow Wow!

So the first week of my orientation has passed. I'm amazed at how quickly the orientation is going. I'm also really impressed by all the cultural opportunities I've had since my last post. I went to the annual Coady Welcome Social, a Pow Wow and a Joel Plaskett concert.

The Coady Social was basically an opportunity for the Coady to interact with the community at large. Everyone in the Antigonish area was invited to meet the participants. Every fall the Coady, and greater Antigonish, welcome participants from around the world who come here for leadership training. The Coady took out all the stops to show them Nova Scotian culture. They included musical performances from a First Nations woman from the Micmac band, an Acadian singer, a gaelic singer, and a group of local feminist women's choir. They were all fantastic. But, honestly, they just reminded me of the wonderful diversity of Canada. I feel so lucky to get to discover more about the culture of Nova Scotia.

Then, even more excitingly, I went to my first Pow Wow. I have to admit that I felt somewhat guilty that my first pow wow occurred thousands of miles away from home. Indigenous people make up a large portion of Saskatchewan's population so it seems somewhat ridiculous that my first Pow Wow wasn't until I was 23 years old and living in Nova Scotia. One of the elders asked me why I hadn't been to one since loads happen in Western Canada. He also said you don't need to be invited. Of course, I couldn't fathom going to a Pow Wow without an invitation. I actually felt privileged and honoured to be invited to this one. It was really wonderful to celebrate with the MicMac. I also saw a lot of other people from outside of that community at the Pow Wow. I didn't realize they were so inclusive. It's even inclusive among the different First Nation peoples because the dancers come from all over.

My favourite part of the Pow Wow was the dance for the dead. They sing a song of mourning and dance for the people who have died this past year. The family and friends of those who have lost people are invited into the circle to dance with the dancers. Then, and here comes the coolest part, other members of the community are invited to come into the circle to shake hands or give each mourner a hug. It is a beautiful example of group healing. I loved dancing in the circle as well. I felt like I was being embraced by the community because others were dancing beside you and around you. Even though I've danced much closer to people in clubs, I have never felt solidarity like in the Pow Wow circle. Usually I am focused on keeping my little huddle of people together with other dancers buffeting us on all sides. But in the Pow Wow circle everyone was welcome and we moved in one continuous line and direction. I liked it. If you've never been to a Pow Wow, I'd suggest going to check one out. We're so lucky in Canada to have diverse cultures in our own backyards if we'd only explore them.

Today, our group facilitator explored another First Nations tradition with us. We participated in a Talking Circle. I think a talking circle is a fairly universal practice, but basically you hold a object (usually a rock or a stick) and whoever has the object is the person who is speaking. The group listens to the person's thoughts without interrupting before passing it on. I really like this practice because it's not so much about responding to other people as sharing your own truth or experience.

I found it to be an incredibly moving experience. The rest of the youth associates shared such beautiful, wonderful thoughts. All I can say is that I feel privileged to be a part of this group.