'You feel more connected': Thousands turn out for STC Pow Wow
More than four thousand people attended the Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) Pow Wow and Concert at SaskTel Centre on Friday.
The event featured a concert from Canadian country music star, George Canyon.
A product of Nova Scotia, who only recently discovered his Mi’kmaw heritage, Canyon said days like today are about learning and connecting.
“Just to be a part of it and learning more and more, you feel more connected,” he told CTV news.
“Everyone feels connected and that’s what we need to do. Even if you don't have Indigenous heritage.”
Canyon says his heritage was hidden from his family by his great aunt until about five years ago.
“They were bullied back in Nova Scotia when they grew up and they were called all these names, and they didn’t want the next generation to suffer that pain,” he said.
“But I’ve since learned that my great grandmas were full Mi’kmaw and I’m learning more and more about my history. So getting to be a part of something like this is very important to me personally.”
The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation is meant to remember the survivors and families of residential schools. While Canyon said it’s easy to be distracted by negativity in the word, coming together builds a sense of community.
“We need more community now than we ever have and less divisiveness,” said Canyon, a Juno award winner and member of the Nova Scotia Country Music Hall of Fame.
“And I think opportunities to come together like this for the whole province, it just means the world to me.”
STC chief Mark Arcand said to him, the day was about three things.
“To me, today is a significant day about culture, language and identity,” Arcand told CTV News. “This is why we wanted to do a pow wow. To put it back on the forefront of our people, and healing from the residential schools and the trauma so they can come to some sort of resolution.”
Celebrating culture, language and identity is the way to move forward from the trauma left behind by the residential school system, Arcand said.
“A lot of people are saying we’ve got to forgive, but how do we move forward? By practising our identity and being proud of who we are.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.