OCEAN MAN FIRST NATIONS - School bus after school bus slowly made its way to the powwow grounds of Ocean Man First Nation.
Ocean Man is located on Highway 47 north of Stoughton, with the powwow site situated among the rolling hills a little further down the road.
The large powwow building has a roof with the four colours of the medicine wheel. Yellow faces east and represents the morning and spring. Red is emotion and looks south, for the afternoon and summer. Black is for physical and faces west for the evening and autumn, while white signifies the mind and faces north for evening and winter.
Cindy Campbell, the executive education director, said the event was organized to bring everyone together at one place to enjoy.
It was also a way to show students the traditions of the First Nation people as so many of them attend school together.
Ocean Man invited students, staff and parents from the South East Cornerstone Public School Division to take part in the youth powwow on May 25.
“On behalf of the council and elders of Ocean Man, thank you for coming on this beautiful sunny day,” said Chief Connie Big Eagle. “We thank the creator for this good day.”
Big Eagle explained to those attending that they all live on Treaty four territory.
Howard Thomson, from Carry the Kettle Nakata Nation was the MC. He kept the crowd entertained while the 84 dancers from seven First Nations and the students prepared to enter the powwow circle.
As the five drum groups played in turn, singing the Nakata songs, the dancers jingled into the circle with their schools close behind.
Twelve public schools came to the event, with classes ranging from kindergarten to grade 12, and over 800 students and staff.
Murray Bird, the principal of the Ocean Man Education Centre, was also present to support this special event.
Each school was introduced and asked to shout as loud as they could to be acknowledged. They then went to the stands to watch their teachers learn some of the dance moves.
Christine Deiter from Sakimay school instructed the teachers on how the dance moves went.
Thomson, known as Howie, continued through the afternoon with his jokes while keeping the crowd engaged in the event.
After lunch, dancers entered the circle one again for some competition, showing their moves to the crowd while dressed in their regalia and jingles.
Campbell said, “It was a great day, and I hope everyone enjoyed the day as much as I did.”
The day ended as students slowly loaded on the school buses and exited the grounds to make their way back home.
