Traditional wedding highlight of powwow

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It's officially known as the Canadian Aboriginal Festival featuring the Toronto International powwow, but everyone knows it as the SkyDome Powwow simply because the venue, with its Jumbotron and removable roof, dominates everything about the event. The drummers and singers echo in the huge building, it's noisier, and you can watch the powwow from anywhere because it is televised on the Jumbotron.

#The dance area only covered about a quarter of the SkyDome's floor space, yet it didn't crowd the hundreds of dancers. From one perspective, the next time you watch a Blue Jays home game, imagine a powwow in the infield. That left the entire outfield for the 150 craft and display booths, food vendors, music tent, performance tent, Elder's tent, the Metis Pavilion, the Indian Affairs Pavilion and the main stage, but it never felt crowded.

The Metis were the featured Aboriginal group for this year's event and had a pavilion sponsored by the Metis Nation of Ontario that outlined Metis history and education, and showcased the services provided by the MNO.

The dancers were competing for $75,000 in total prizes and honorariums. The Canadian host drum was White Tail, and the American drum was Eyabay. But the highlight of the powwow was the traditional wedding in the middle of the dancing arbor between the Head Male Dancer, Maheengun Shawanda, and the Head Female Dancer, Bernadette Wassengeso on Dec. 4.

Hundreds of well wishers circled the happy couple as they said their vows, televised live on the Jumbotron for all to see.

Lyle Donald was invited by the festival organizers and the Metis Nation of Ontario to lead the cultural events that showcased Metis jigging, music and history.

"It was a pretty successful weekend. We did two educational days with the students of Toronto, which was pretty interesting," he said. "We started off with a full show and the second part we did jigging lessons and that worked out pretty good. At each training time we must've had at least 150 students jigging."

He said even though most people think of Metis as being a western people he was quick to point out that the history of the Metis starts in Quebec with the beginning of the fur trade and European settlement.

"Winnipeg and the Red River area are known to be a Metis homeland, but we all got our start from out East here," he said. "I've always recognized it and we have to promote it as much as we can.

"One thing that has to be noted is that we are part of the Aboriginal community. We have our own culture, beliefs, and traditions, and a lot of it is shared with both First Nations and European cultures," continued Donald. "I think it mixes pretty good."

The powwow has received criticisms from people who feel it's too expensive (this year's entrance fee was $12 per day), too commercial and too artificial because it is indoors. Others however see these elements as being positive. Aboriginal actor George Leach said having the festival at the SkyDome would make it easier for people who normally wouldn't come to a powwow.

"The SkyDome invites people, non-Native people, to come in," he said. "It's a good venue for that because they don't feel intimidated because it's a public place, whereas at a friendship centre they might not know if they're welcome or not. That's the good thing about this, because it really gives them a taste of Native culture."

But he also added that only the SkyDome was big enough to house a powwow so big.

"The good thing about the Toronto powwow is that you get a variety," he continued. "It's not just traditional music, but also contemporary music, contemporary art, contemporary arts and crafts, and good food. I think that's what makes it such an important event."

Clifton Fred, a Tlingit clothing designer from Vancouver, said the indoor experience made the people more comfortable, even though it was noisier and lacked the atmosphere of a traditional, outdoor powwow. He also said that he was overwhelmed by the positive esponse to his designs from the Aboriginal people of Ontario.

"About 3,000 to 4,000 have stopped by," he said. "I've had a lot of conversations with people who didn't buy anything, but who just wanted to talk and learn about the art."

He was also able to network with some other booth participants and make some good business contacts. For Fred, the SkyDome powwow was an overwhelming success and he plans to return next year.