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Learning and celebrating the beauty of Pow Wow dancing at Champlain School

May 31, 2023 Division Activity, News Story, School Activity
Pow Wow dancing workshop

During the month of May, Grade 4, 5, and 6 students from Champlain School had the opportunity to learn Pow Wow dancing from four youth dancers, Cynthia, Dien, Dreyden and Shyla from the Rising Sun Pow Wow Club based at the Ma Ma Wi Chi Itata Centre. During each of the four morning workshops, the dancers began with a smudge then continued with four different dance styles: Jingle, Fancy, Grass, and Warrior. Students were free to choose any style that interested them until they all got back together to learn a round dance and play games.

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"The goal of the Pow Wow dance workshop was to further Champlain School’s commitment to reconciliation through reconciliACTION by building community, independent capacity within our students, and to celebrate the beauty of Pow Wow dancing and singing,” said Champlain School principal Paulo Teixeira. 

Champlain School is a DWF Legacy School, a national initiative created by the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund (DWF) to engage, empower and connect students and educators to further reconciliation through awareness, education and action (reconciliACTION). ReconciliACTIONs aim to bring Indigenous and non-Indigenous people together in the spirit of reconciliation to share, learn, and create awareness.

“Our next step is to bring back the dancers next year as part of a new Pow Wow program that will run throughout the year and will expand to include all students, nursey through Grade 6. The four youth dancers were not only excellent dance instructors, but also wonderful role models inspiring both students and staff,” said Teixeira. 

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The Pow Wow dance workshops is just one of the many Indigenous-focused learning opportunities that take place at the school daily. Some of the other Indigenous programming include:

  • Drumming group 
  • Making Ribbon Skirts for students and families
  • Grade 6 class projects that focus on the MMIW crisis
  • Garden beds planted with the Three Sisters plants
  • Grandparents gathering bimonthly in parent room with Indigenous knowledge keepers
  • Fall feast that included stew, Tipi teachings and many other games and community building activities
  • A kindness project that includes gift bundles for the community with the support of the Bear Clan
  • A winter Musical Theatre concert based upon the traditional Lenape story Rainbow Crow

Some students from Champlain will also participate in the 4th Annual Winnipeg School Division Celebration Pow Wow, taking place Thursday, June 1 at Tec-Voc High School.  This divisional event is open to all and is a great opportunity to experience the beauty of Pow Wow dancing in person:

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