Thousands of people gathered for the National Indigenous Peoples Day Traditional Powwow on Wednesday. (File Photo/BattlefordsNOW Staff).
Bringing awareness

National Indigenous Peoples Day Traditional Powwow shares culture and connects community

Jun 19, 2025 | 9:53 AM

Thousands of people gathered at the Heritage Farm and Village grounds in North Battleford on Wednesday for the National Indigenous Peoples Day Traditional Powwow.

Organized in partnership by the Western Development Museum (WDM)and Kanaweyimik Child & Family Services (CFS), the day long event welcomed community members, families, elders, youth, and schools from across the region.

(File Photo/BattlefordsNOW Staff).

The Grand Entry, marked by a procession of dancers in traditional regalia, began at 11:00 a.m., officially opening the celebration. Then, throughout the day, dancers of all ages competed while traditional drumming groups from around the province brought a powerful and rhythmic atmosphere to attendees.

The Grand Entry (File Photo/BattlefordsNOW Staff).
Dancers lined up during the Grand Entry (File Photo/BattlefordsNOW Staff).
Wild Horse drumming group (File Video/BattlefordsNOW Staff).

Marlene Bugler, executive director of Kanaweyimik CFS, emphasized the powwow’s significance as both a cultural and educational gathering.

“We wanted to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day…we have a partnership with the museum on teaching and creating more awareness of our Indigenous culture, and we thought a one day traditional powwow would be a great way to do that and bring people together, as well as bridge the relationship between the different nations,” said Bugler.

(File Video/BattlefordsNOW Staff).
Hoop dance performance by Jennifer Nicotine (File Photo/BattlefordsNOW Staff).
(File Photo/BattlefordsNOW Staff).

She also noted the importance of bringing students and kids to the event.

“Our elders back in the day told us that if we want to change things, if we want to create more awareness and build relationships, we have to start with the little ones. Then we can mold them and train them to better understand each other. This is an opportunity for them. This is probably some of them, first time they’ve been able to observe a powwow and see what our dance is,” Bugler explained.

People dancing during one of the Intertribal’s (File Photo/BattlefordsNOW Staff).
A young dancer in regalia (File Photo/BattlefordsNOW Staff).
(File Photo/BattlefordsNOW Staff).

In addition to cultural celebration, the event also had a charitable component. Donations and proceeds from the day went to Miwasin Kikinaw, a local shelter that provides services to people without stable housing.

“It’s unfortunate that some people don’t have a home and need somewhere to go, and there’s limited funding for the shelter, so we wanted to help in any way that we could,” said Bugler.

(File Photo/BattlefordsNOW Staff).
(File Photo/BattlefordsNOW Staff).
(File Photo/BattlefordsNOW Staff).

North Battleford Mayor Kelly Hawtin was also in attendance and talked about the crucial impact these events have.

“These kinds of events represent our community and the more cultural events we can have in our community, the more vibrant things are. This specifically being a powwow, we see a lot of students and young people here. This is a learning event for all those young people and everyone else too. It’s a really good opportunity for us all to get together and celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day,” said Hawtin.

As the sun set and the evening ended, it was apparent for those in attendance that the day was more than just a cultural celebration; it was powerful reminder of the importance of learning, understanding, and honouring Indigenous traditions and the strength that comes from gathering as a community.

Austin.mattes@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @AustinMattes

View Comments