M’CHIGEENG—On Thursday, June 5, a crowd gathered behind Manitoulin Secondary School (MSS) for its annual powwow, and for the first time in over 20 years, the powwow was held outside. The sounds of drumming, singing, and talking filled the field from 11 am to 2 pm, as students, staff and community members watched and participated.
The event was opened by the grand entry, led by Head Veteran Howard Debassige and Head Elder Jean Debassige, along with dancers representing various age groups, and Principal David Wiwchar and Vice Principal Steve Doane. Drum groups Black Bull Moose, Young Biisineh and Spirit Bear guided the grand entry and the rest of the day’s events.
Serving as Masters of Ceremonies were Travis Corbiere and MSS student Taylor Goodfellow, who announced different dances and songs, along with bringing a few laughs to the event. “My role was basically to announce drum groups, the dances we would be doing, like categories, things like that,” said Taylor. “Last year I MCed by myself, so having Travis there this time helped a lot.”
The MSS Powwow is a significant—and fun—day for everyone involved. Taylor shared that she hopes people who attended walked away knowing that “they’re always welcome. And that there’s always more to learn.” Taylor commented more on the openness of this Indigenous tradition, “[Our culture] is very welcoming, very open. Anyone’s free to come in and watch or join in. It’s not just our culture—it’s shareable.”
Especially when it comes to younger visitors, Taylor said that her favourite moment was watching the elementary school students join in on the dances. “They looked really excited. It was so cute.”
The field was home to dancers, community leaders and youth. Head Adult Female Dancer Kalli Jones and Head Adult Male Dancer Noah Hare led the dances throughout the day with Head Youth Dancers Lourdes Taukei and Pahquis Trudeau following them. Honour songs and spot dances made their way around the drum groups in the middle of the circle, following the leadership of these Indigenous youth.
Sunset Sagutch, the arena director, coordinated the day and ensured everything ran smoothly. “Sunset had a list ready to guide us through everything,” said Taylor. A huge miigwetch goes out to Sunset, community partners, and all the staff and volunteers who made this event possible.
by Alex Wilson-Zegil
