Ukrainian newcomers welcomed at annual Spring Celebration Powwow in Regina
CTV
Newcomers were welcomed to the final day of the Spring Celebration Powwow in Regina, showcasing Indigenous culture to those that have yet to experience it.
“You don't have to be Indigenous to powwow. It's completely fine if you aren't.”
This is the message Judy Missens wanted people to know from this year’s Spring Celebration Powwow in Regina.
With so many newcomers in Canada, taking part in a powwow is a powerful experience.
The annual First Nations University Spring Powwow took place at the Brandt Centre from April 22 to 23, and saw people from across Canada in attendance.
“We just want people to recognize who we are, and we want to move forward. We don't want to forget the past, but we want to be able to move forward and come together collectively as people," Missens added.
That is the feeling many new to the tradition learned.
"I was chatting with a lot of First Nations people in the regalia, and we were discussing what it's like all [the] stuff means … and it means a lot, it's all of the history," Andrian Makhnachov, a Ukrainian newcomer to Saskatchewan, explained.
