STONEY NAKODA – Five students from Nakoda Elementary School were officially introduced into the dancing circle during an initiation powwow held on June 22.
During the hour-long powwow, five students danced alongside their peers and were symbolically “pushed” into the circle by Vaughan Daniels and J’Naya Hunter, two well-respected dancers in the community.
“Powwow encourages our people to have a healthy lifestyle,” said Chris Pegram, cultural educator at the school.
“It encourages our people to understand the sense of giving away, that’s a very big part of our culture, to give away and to share with the community as a whole. So by showing these students how to do that, we’re simply explaining and expressing to them the importance of caring in that way.”
Months before the event, the five students were selected by the school and helped design their regalia with their families thanks to a grant from the federal government.
“It was a really hands-on project,” said Pegram.
The five students included, Lacy Stevens-Simeon, Paris Stevens-Simeon, Baily Stevens-Simeon, Donovan Bearspaw and Issac Twoyoungmen.
