THUNDER BAY – It was a chance to celebrate and learn about Indigenous culture for local students on Tuesday.
The St. Ignatius and St. Patrick Indigenous student councils teamed up to host a powwow at the St. Ignatius Field.
The event featured dancers from both schools, drummers, guest speakers and information booths from a variety of community organizations.
“We spend a lot of time in the classrooms talking about Indigenous culture, but it’s different when the kids actually get to experience it and take part in it,” said Ryan McWhirter, St. Ignatius principal.
“Our hope is that the students learn something about the culture and that there is a lot of beauty in other cultures. For our students at the school that are Indigenous, we want them to feel a sense of pride in celebrating their own culture and sharing it with everyone else.”
Payton Tyance, a Grade 10 student at St. Ignatius, helped to put the event together along with her classmates and school staff.
In between leading some of the dances, she got a chance to take in how well the event was going.
“We had an amazing sky and no wind, which is great for dancing, and all of the students have been very respectful of the entire day,” Tyance said.
“I would definitely like to see this happen more often, either on an annual basis or a semi-annual basis. It’s great when we can get everyone out to celebrate our culture.”
The powwow also acknowledged the Moose Hide Campaign, which focuses on the commitment to take action in honour of women and children everyone in an effort to end violence.
