Young female pow wow dancers from Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN) embarked on a trip of a lifetime last week as they travelled to the Gathering of Nations Pow Wow held in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Gathering of Nations Pow Wow has been running for over 40 years and is an event that allows Indigenous people from all over North American, to come together to celebrate and share their culture. The event prides itself on being a place where singers and dancers can feel confident at a pow wow competition that is fair to all.
Amongst the group that travelled from OCN to take part in the event, were mother and daughter duo, Janet and Jennelle Moore.
“This was our first time attending the Gathering of Nations Pow Wow,” said Janet. “We have attended local pow wows before, but nothing like this. This was something we wanted to go to.
“We did a lot of fundraising to do this and it was a lot of work. We had to create a plan and a budget, then we had to fundraise so the girls could go. This just didn’t happen with no effort. The parents of the girls all had to work hard and do some strict planning in order for this to happen.”