Sunday, May 24, 2009

Aboriginal Gathering & Pow Wow: Honoring Our Elders

Once again the Peace Region Aboriginal Interagency Committee is hosting the Aboriginal Gathering and Pow Wow. It's being held on June 13 and 14 in Peace River at a new location--the Twelve Foot Davis Ball Park.

With the move to this new location, we expect a few growing pains but are hopeful that this beautiful natural amphitheatre will be a great location for this year's event and those in the future.

I encourage everyone to come and see the wonderful dancing, singing, drumming, Metis fiddling and jigging, displays, food and more. It's a full two days of celebration of Aboriginal culture.

This is an alcohol and drug free event that is very family-oriented and includes children's activities coordinated by the Town's Community Services Department.

One of the aspects that I especially enjoy is the presentation of blankets and feathers to people of Aboriginal heritage who have graduated from high school in the past year. And this year, graduates from college and universities are also being honoured. As well, Northlands School Division is celebrating its 25th anniversary and this milestone is being celebrated.

The AIC is seeking volunteers to help with a variety of tasks to make the event go smoothly. If you can contribute a few hours, contact Dianne Lavoie at 780-618-9268 (diannelavoie@telusplanet.net) or Tracy Zweifel at 780-624-2443 (tracy-sagitawa@telus.net) to find out where your help is most needed.

For more information about the Gathering and Pow Wow, contact Christina Hogaboam at 780-624-6316 (christina.hogaboam@gov.ab.ca) or Dennis Whitford at 780-624-6367 (dennis.whitford@gov.ab.ca)

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