'It's our way of telling our story': Lennox Island prepares for powwow
This year's powwow will include a traditional Mi'kmaq wedding
When Chance Banks and Victoria Trondsen's eyes met at a powwow in 2013, they both agree it was love at first sight.
This year, the pair decided to do something that hasn't been done during the Lennox Island First Nation powwow for more than 100 years — have a traditional Mi'kmaq wedding.
"It's something that seems to be lost and normally powwows were for gatherings and if people were to come it would be like how they did it a long time ago," Banks said.
"Powwows were to meet up and have fun and tell each other stories and stuff like that so it's our way of telling our story because that is how we met," he said. "We met at a powwow and we wanted to have our wedding at a powwow as well."
Powwows and other Indigenous ceremonies were banned across the country during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
It wasn't until a change in the Indian Act in the 1950s that they were able to celebrate once again.
Now, four powwows take place across P.E.I. during the summer months — the series of events is known as the Red Clay Powwow Trail.
The cultural celebration on Lennox Island is the final powwow of the summer, taking place on Aug. 25 and 26.
And this year, it will include the traditional wedding of Trondsen and Banks.
Trondsen is originally from Norway and identifies as one of the Indigenous people of Scandinavia known as the Sami.
'Celebrate our culture'
After Chance's proposal last year at the Lennox Island powwow, Trondsen says she is excited to return and have their wedding there.
"It feels like it is going to be crowded but it is going to be fun because all the family and friends are going to be there and we will all have fun and laugh together," Trondsen said.
"It is mostly going to be traditional Mi'kmaq but my mom and my sister [are] wearing some Sami colours and I am trying to bring a little bit of Sami into the wedding."
The community is pulling together to prepare for the weekend festivities where they welcome everyone to the traditional event.
"I am really looking forward to seeing all the people come out and be able to celebrate our culture," said Matilda Ramjattan, chief of Lennox Island First Nation.
Working on the powwow grounds has been a part of Gilbert Sark's life for many years.
Sark calls himself an elder in training and is a member of the drum group Hey Cuzzins.
'I always want to be involved to keep it alive'
In the last few years he and friend Angus Sark have been building seating grounds, the central arbour and a roof over the sacred fire area, adding to the permanent infrastructure that supports the powwow grounds.
Gilbert Sark said it was important to get involved with the traditional ways.
"To keep the culture alive, any type of traditions, anything ceremonies, I always want to be involved to keep it alive," he said.
"Like if I learn it, I am going to teach it — to either my son or my drummers or anyone that comes asking, as long as I know it and it is learned correctly, I can share it."
Angus Sark said he was pleased with the reaction he gets as people see the progress each year at the powwow.
"Everything just looks so much different over the last few years, a big improvement and the people just really appreciate where we are going with this," Angus Sark said.
"I think that it is important for the future for the people of Lennox, for the Aboriginal people to see what is part of the past and try to make a piece of it the present, I would say."
One of the highlights around powwows is the traditional outfits known as regalia.
'It makes the girls and women want to dance'
Lisa Legere has been working since May as a seamstress for the Lennox Island Cultural Centre to help recreate traditional regalia for the event.
She works with ribbons, cloth and occasionally leather in her colourful creations.
She said both men and women wear different types of regalia and she works on ribbon shirts, ankle length skirts and shawls to be worn during the powwow.
"The girls — you give them a shawl and it's like, 'wow, they can do that?' And it makes them proud," said Legere.
"We stay traditional for our powwows. Traditional meals, traditional dress and it makes the girls and women want to dance, I guess, it helps bring back the culture."
As the Lennox Island powwow continues to grow, Ramjattan said it was good to see more community members get involved.
"It goes to show that people are more comfortable in their own skin in terms of our culture. I know that our culture had been frowned upon in the past," Ramjattan said.
Ramjattan said that the resurgence was part of the healing journey and she was pleased to see people exercise it.
The powwows are open to anyone and everyone interested in attending.
The grand entrance for the Lennox Island powwow will be at 1 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.
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