It's a Fine Day for a Pow Wow

One of the great things about living in Montreal is that there is a festival almost every day during the summer, rain or shine. And, even though as of September 22nd it is officially Fall, as long as there is no snow and the temperatures remain bearable there will be a festival somewhere in the city.

Today I decided to get a little bit of reading done at a local café, but first I wanted to stop by Zellers to buy rechargeable batteries for my brand new digital camera. I had fully intended to get a good four hours of reading in when I came across a a ruckus in Cabot Square near Atwater metro. Lo and behold, what did I come upon but a POW WOW. Yes, a full-fledged pow wow, sponsored by the Native Friendship Centre of Montreal. What a nice surprise! I've been to a pow wow before since my mother truly believes that she is a full-fledged member of the Mohawk Warrior Society, but it is always nice to come upon one unexpectedly.

I really wanted to get that reading done, but how could I pass up this oppurtunity? The music just...called me. So, I mosied on into the park, whipped out my digital camera and got ready to feel the love.

The thing about First Nations events is that you go through so many emotions as a Canadian. First Nations people suffered a lot at the hands of the European invaders. Growing up in Canada I saw a lot about how First Nations people were pushed off their lands, suffered abuse at the hands of the "religious," how they were robbed of and lost parts of their culture and how they struggled to maintain a sense of space amidst Canada's many historical changes. These pow wows make you cry for two reasons: you're sorry that they had to go through all that they did and you're happy that they still want to share their culture with us.

The fact that the festival was being held in Cabot Square is deeply symbolic. Historical abuse of First Nations peoples has destabilized communities to an extent. Unfortunately, to deal with the rape of their culture, some members of the community turned to substance abuse to help them escape. Walking thorough Cabot Square on an ordinary day you can see several homeless alcoholic First Nations men and women drinking and busking in the park. It's not threatening - there are about 4 of them and you come to know who they are. They are very friendly and they won't harrass you. Sometimes people give them money and sometimes people wave hello, especially if you pass them on a daily basis. During the festival, they continued their busking and drinking across the street, but I could see that they were proud that so many passersby had taken the time to join the celebrations spontaneously.

I arrived in time to see two main events: drum dancing and throat singing. Drum dancing is the typical dance that you think of when you think "pow wow." I believe these were Mohawk, rather than Inuit, dancers. Every pow wow that I have attended has always consisted of colourful costumes and rhythmic stomp dancing. I managed to capture some images of the drum dancing before my batteries ran out.

Throat singing is a kind of rhythmic singing done with two women facing each other. The women emit growling vibrato noises and other sounds from their throats, often creating a rondo style song. According to one of the women doing the singing, this was a strong tradition until a religious ban effectuated by Christian priests who imposed their beliefs and their way of life upon Inuits and other First Nations peoples. Recently, there has been a movement by younger generations to re-establish throat singing. The demonstration was powerful and moving. The women, dressed in traditional clothing, faced each other and treated us to a kind of call and response performance. Afterwards, they invited anyone to come and try it and five people gave it a go: a young Inuit girl, an older Inuit lady (I believe she was from the area of Cape Breton), a middle-aged black woman, a young francophone girl and an elderly anglo lady. It was the first time for the latter three volunteers and they all performed very well.

I had a great time and I still got two hours of reading in. I also got rechargeable batteries, so the next time I come across an interesting event I won't be so limited.