LAURIE WEIR
Duck Island was alive with music, movement and meaning on June 14 and 15 as the Spirit of the Drum Powwow returned to Smiths Falls. With more than 30 Indigenous vendors and participants from across Turtle Island, the weekend event celebrated culture, connection and community under sunny skies and the steady heartbeat of the drum.
The powwow featured traditional Grand Entries each day, bringing together jingle, grass, fancy and woodland-style dancers, along with Elders, singers and knowledge-keepers. Spectators were invited into the circle for intertribal dances and teachings, and many stayed to explore the vendors who lined the island with handmade beadwork, crafts, medicines, food and educational offerings.
Mayor Shawn Pankow attended both days and called the event “an incredible experience” during the June 16 regular meeting of council. He said he was moved by the number of people who travelled to the event from across the continent, including as far as Arizona, Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Québec and throughout Ontario.
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“They were very grateful that a small municipality delivered this type of commitment to reconciliation,” Pankow said. “To provide this forum for Indigenous people to celebrate their culture, to share their wisdom and their experience, and for all of us to move forward in a very positive manner.”
The mayor credited a small group of dedicated organizers for making the event a success: Indigenous consultant Josée Bourgeois, Kristi Donovan, Paul Merredew, director of community services Stephanie Clark, and Pankow himself.
“It was one of the most meaningful events we can host as a community,” he said.
Pankow also proclaimed June 21 as National Indigenous Peoples Day in Smiths Falls, aligning with the summer solstice and the National Day of Recognition for First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
A committee debrief is expected in the coming weeks, with planning already underway for next year’s powwow.