By Elizabeth Huber
Saskatchewan

New Mexico, Minnesota, Montana, Manitoba, North Dakota, South Dakota, Alberta an not to mention all corners of Saskatchewan were represented in Swift Current last weekend.

The drawing card — the Living Sky Casino inaugural round dance and powwow.

“Is this the first powwow?” Beverly Pratt questioned in disbelief when asked of her impressions of the event.
“It is big, I was surprised by how many dancers were here,” she added.

Living in Quinton, a community near Raymore, she began going to powwows as a child and now all of her children have grown up participating since they were “tiny tots.”

“Now they are grown, I take my younger children and grandchildren,” she added.

Dressed in traditional regalia, Pratt’s eyes shone with excitement as she talked about the weekend.

“I like that traditional dance because it is graceful for the women ... to me the Indian women bring strength to their people and their community. They are life givers.”

Pratt is just one of approximately 350 dancers who registered for the event. Seventeen drums of 10 people each surrounded the dance area. An approximate 1,000 people filled the building throughout the day.

From the beginning of planning the organizers said if there is a powwow the public will come — plus patrons would let organizers know how they are doing.

There are always new faces, said Pratt.

If you raise the children around it, the next generations carry it on. New participants who like the powwow and are proud of it, will start asking for help making or acquiring outfits because they want to be a part of it, she added.

Lionel Tootoosis, the general manager of Living Sky Casino, is relatively new to men’s traditional dancing. He enjoyed his time at the event.

“I have recently started dancing, but it is something that has always been a part of my family and I am happy to carry on the tradition,” he said.

“It brings the people together,” and nothing brings people together like a winter powwow, added Pratt.
Held in the Stockade Building at Kinetic Exhibition Park in Swift Current, it would be fair to say it reached capacity in its first year.

“We are a little stretched to the limit here,” said Tootoosis.

“It is a nice intimate environment,” he added, noting more seating would have been ideal.

Organizers are now planning to host the event in February 2011 and hope to “have it become one of the signature events for the community here in Swift Current.”

A number of businesses jumped on board to sponsor the event and made it possible to give away approximately $75,000 in prize money throughout the weekend.

“I hope the business community is really pleased with the response of people coming in,” Tootoosis added.