A traditional powwow is a gathering of people who love the music, dance and traditions of the North American Indian nations.

All people are invited and all people are fed, just like having a visitor come to your home after not seeing the person in a long time.

Friends, new and old, catch up on what’s been happening in their lives. It’s always nice to see the elders greet each other, because it always starts with a handshake and a hug. Eventually, it breaks into laughter.

There are those who follow the traditional powwow trail, and it’s not uncommon to meet the same person in a different territory, another province or even in another country.

A traditional powwow, unlike a competitive one, is generally smaller. The people who follow traditional powwows do it because they love the culture and are proud to be Indigenous. It’s not only First Nations people who attend and participate in traditional powwows.

At our gathering, a large family from Turkey visited. A male member, an oil field engineer, lives and works in a city close to my reserve.

His parents and other family members were making their first trip to Canada. The man heard about our traditional powwow and decided to take the visitors on a road trip.

The man had attended other powwows and knew the basic protocols. However, he decided to spin a story to his guests, as one of their requests were to meet Native Americans.

He told them Native Americans still lived in teepees, rode horses and hunted buffalo. He also told them to never look at an Indian directly in the eye, as that is a challenge for a fight. As they were driving closer to my reserve, he pointed to a group of horses on a farmer’s pasture. He told his visitors those are the horses Native Americans ride on their raids. The guests quickly pulled out their cellphone cameras and started taking pictures.

As they pulled onto the rez, they could see the teepees The man said they couldn’t believe their eyes. “It’s like being at the movies, but in real life,” one of them said.

They walked around taking photographs. I happened to walk by with my traditional dancing regalia. The man asked if his guests could take a picture. Of course, I agreed to the photos. He called over his visitors and introduced them one at a time. I noticed they all had their heads down when they extended their arm for a handshake. They were looking at their shoes. I thought it was a tradition in Turkey, so I looked down at my moccasins while the photo was being taken.

There’s a photograph somewhere in Turkey of a Native American too shy to have his picture taken. I also met a couple of families from north of Saskatoon. They had recognized me from other newspapers I wrote for. This was a surprise because I always thought only my editor, Cam Hutchinson, and a friend who’s in a hospital read my stories. Both families are white and were travelling in a leased motorhome.

The man who initially started our conversation said it all began with his 11-yearold daughter. He told me he grew up with First Nations people, went to school and partied with Indigenous people most of his life. “They were my friends,” he said. “They were people I worked with and people I had at my home for a barbecue.”

He said his daughter came home from school one day this past spring and wanted to know about reconciliation with Indigenous people. She shared how their class was learning about the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. “I didn’t have a clue what she was talking about,” he said. Apparently, his daughter thought since he knew many Indigenous people, he might know something about the final report. He said he was embarrassed. “Here I am from Saskatchewan, grew up with First Nations people and not one time did I ask them about their culture or anything.”

He said the only thing he ever asked his Indigenous friends was the score of the game they were watching. He talked this over with his wife and both decided to research reconciliation. They had initially decided to research for their daughter, but as they read more and more, they talked about doing something about it. There’s a part in the final report of the commission where there is a call to action. This is an area where non-Indigenous Canadians can do something for those who attended Indian residential schools. The man told me that even though there were powwows close to his home, he had never attended one. He said he was talking to his best friend, who is also white, about his idea. His friend thought it was a great idea and would talk to his family about attending a powwow.

The two families decided to lease a motorhome to tour Saskatchewan and attend powwows. One family has daughters who are 11, nine and seven. The other family has two boys — a toddler and a baby. He said by the time they got to their third powwow, the girls asked for traditional dresses so they could dance. The man also said both families had decided to take their summer holidays to attend powwows. “Everywhere we went, we were welcomed,” he said.

When they showed up at our powwow, they right fit in because they learned all about the traditions from previous gatherings. Even though they had blond hair and blue eyes, they were welcomed with open arms. What was supposed to be a tour of powwows in Saskatchewan turned into road trips to Alberta and Manitoba. The last leg of their trip was going to the United States to attend American powwows. He said it was the best family vacation they ever had. It was an eye-opener for two families, just because a young girl asked a question.

-Ken Noskye