Powwow continues to pay tribute to community

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Wherever visitors walked inside Ben Calf Robe School on May 8, they couldn't avoid seeing beautiful powwow outfits, each uniquely designed with beads, feathers or bells.

And they couldn't avoid hearing the sound of the announcer's voice over the crowd of dancers or the beat of a big hand-made drum.

But most importantly, they couldn't avoid feeling the spiritualism that wrapped around participants like a warm blanket on a cold day on the powwow trail.

The Ben Calf Robe powwow has been held annually for more than two decades, organized by the Ben Calf Robe School and Society. Powwow co-ordinator Joan Campbell said that it's a wonderful event for the community, held each year on the Saturday before Mother's Day.

"I'm really excited for the community because I think it's a real gathering for them. I think they really enjoy it."

Leith Campbell, who has been a Ben Calf Robe Society board member since 1981, said he feels a deep connection to the powwow, since he was around when it all began.

"It was for the Aboriginal community in Edmonton that doesn't have a lot of ways to celebrate themselves," said Campbell.

"We felt that if we have a school that is working with Aboriginal children, we've got to give something back to the community, and that's why this powwow was started, to honor our parents, to honor our Elders, to honor the community that's in Edmonton and around here."

Campbell said the powwow is becoming increasingly more difficult to organize especially when it comes to the funds needed to hold it. It continues, he said, because it is important to the society to honor the community that has helped to ensure the school continues to exist.

"All the efforts of Ben Calf Robe Society staff, teaching staff, all work together to put this on," said Campbell.

"This is such a crazy thing to organize. Powwows are nuts to organize. But when that first drum starts warming up, that makes the whole thing for us; it drives what happens."

Eric Newborn, a powwow dancer from Alexander, said he has been coming to the powwow for many years, but only recently started to dance. Newborn said going to the powwow "feels good. It makes me feel proud."

Ben Calf Robe School principal Bryan Richardson said it's great to see all the kids and members of the community come out to the powwow and get involved with it.

"Ben Calf Robe School is all about culture and language and those are the important things," said Richardson. "We try to immerse that into the curriculum, into everything we do in this school."

Richardson said he hopes that next year they can have three round dances, as well as the powwow, because cultural events are learning experiences for the students.

"The children will learn more in that moment of time than what we can do in many days of school time. The Elders' wisdom is always to be honored and always to be respected, and the teachings that will be learned today will be carried on for a lifetime by our children," said Richardson.

"It's a real good thing. All these teachings are good. That's the key; to get the Elders and parents involved with education. That's the key."