Powwow Country: Calgary Stampede, July 6-15, 2012 Calgary, Alberta

Calgary Stampede, July 6-15, 2012
Calgary

This year’s Calgary Stampede marks the centennial for the Greatest Show on Earth. The prominent role First Nations have played in the Calgary Stampede will be marked by the presence of Treaty Seven Chiefs Charles Weasel Head, Fred Rabbit Carrier, Gayle Strikes With a Gun, Sanford Big Plume, Bruce Labelle, Ernest Wesley and Darcy Dixon who will be joined on the two-and-a-half mile parade route by country music legend Ian Tyson. First Nations will also be represented by Amelia Crowshoe, Calgary Stampede Centennial Indian Princess. Crowshoe, whose Blackfoot name is Misimmemonisakii, meaning Long Time Otter Woman, is representing the Piikani Nation. She is a jingle dress dancer and a graduate from the University of Calgary with aspirations of becoming a lawyer. “The Indian Village is a real venue of cultural validation and that’s why we want to share it with everyone – we are proud of who we are and we want to share that,” said Crowshoe. Each year at the annual pageant, a young woman from one of the five tribes of Treaty 7 (Tsuu T’ina, Piikani, Stoney, Kainai and Siksika Nations) is selected to act as the official representative of the Calgary Stampede and Indian Village presented by Penn West Energy. The families of the five signatory tribes continue to erect their traditional tipis, which along with the people who live in them are an integral part of the annual 10-day celebration.

For more information, check out:
cs.calgarystampede.com/events/parade.html