Yesterday the gym at St. Thomas Aquinas High School was filled with joy, celebration and a sense of community as the KCDSB celebrated the seasons with a Winter Pow Wow.
The event started with a Grand Entry and a smudge. Opening prayers were offered by Elder Howard Copenance Sr. from White Fish Bay First Nation. There were two drums at the celebration. The Flag song was performed on the St. Thomas Aquinas High School drum and the Veterans song was performed on the Hanisha Singer's drum.
There was a spectacular display of traditional dance costumes from community members and students. Many girls wore their jingle dresses and performed traditional grass dancing. Ronnie P. McDonald, from Wabseemoong First Nation dazzled the students as he danced wearing an amazing costume.
Shelly Tom, Aboriginal Resource Teacher talks about the significance of the event: "This is our way of coming together as a spiritual community to honour and celebrate the changing seasons. This event is significant because it brings all our people together to share food, spend time together and celebrate. It's about dancing and respecting and honouring our cultural traditions."
Glen Seymour was the Master of Ceremonies for the event and praised the children for respecting the circle and honoring the tradition of walking around the circle clockwise.
A very special thank you to all the people who have been working for weeks to bring the celebration together.
During the celebration the entire gym was filled with students, teachers and community members all walking and dancing around the drummers and singers in a circle. You can watch a short video here: