Thunderchild celebrates with new arbour

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The biggest powwow ever hosted by Thunderchild First Nation was held Aug. 15 to 17 in a stunning new arbour facility built to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the signing of Treaty 6.

Thousands of visitors and hundreds of dancers enjoyed a full weekend of blue skies, sunshine and clear starry nights.

"It was the people of Thunderchild who asked chief and council to hold a commemorative powwow this year to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Treaty 6, said band councillor Albert Angus. "Of course we were delighted and happy to comply."

"Our old arbour, built 15 years ago, was falling apart and we knew we needed a new arbour to carry on a commemorative powwow of that scale," said Angus.

Ernie Jimmy, director of public works and housing, already had a huge supply of logs in place to build homes for the Elders. All the logs had been locally harvested on the First Nation.

Local contractors came on board with Derrick Martineau of Dream Catcher log homes to construct the poles and beams.

"I pulled all my construction crews from housing on the reserve and we all ganged up on this project," said Jimmy.

"If you're going to do something right, you have to do it the first time. In years gone by, my grandmother, 86-year-old Elder Genevieve Horse, would say, 'Every year we rebuild that arbour. Every year we put money into that thing.' The old structure was just not sound enough to last or justify all that continued expense. The new arbour is built to last a hundred years. My grandchildren and great grandchildren will be using this facility," said Jimmy.

"Fresh green sod for the dancers with gravel under the bleachers were the best moves we made and now we have the best looking arbour around. We wanted and got very high standards.

"It was an all out effort of the whole community ... with our summer students, economic development, renovation and new housing workers pitching in," said Jimmy.

During the grand entry on Friday night, powwow announcer Raymond Whitstone introduced officials, committee members, Elders, veterans and dancers, including Chief Winston Weekusk, flanked by his wife Mary, deputy Chief Norman Moyah, powwow president Mel Thunderchild and band councillors Ira Horse, Angus, Arnold Wapass, Violet Weekusk, Bernadine Walking Bear and Charlie Paddy. RCMP members and the Bold Eagle troupe also took part, along with veteran George Horse, who was reunited in the new arbour with great-grandson Robert McCoy, a marine who had just arrived home after serving in Iraq.

Big Bear Drum served as host drum for the event, and special guest Freddy Martin from New Zealand brought down the house with a crowd-pleasing demonstration of Maori traditional dance and song.

The fourth in a round of four Sundance Wapass family memorials was held to celebrate the life of a talented young dancer. Little warrior Montana Wapass, danced up a storm in honor of his brother.

Thunderchild plans to expand the arbour facility for the 2005 Saskatchewan centennial year commemorative powwow with the creation of a walkway around the outside of the new arbour.

"It will be a walk of fame with the names of the champion dancers of each year immortalized on the bricks, a good way to honor the dancers that grace our powwow arbours," said Angus.

"We are also planning more facilities-an RV service area to free up our camping area and give them their own services and space."