Indigenous Weekend, Hurray!

This week I’m writing more on a personal note in regards to an event that I attended over this past weekend. Being a First Nations student here at U of T I like to be involved with the First Nations community and what they  provide in regards to events and opportunities throughout the school year. For this reason I spend a good amount of my time at First Nations House trying my best to engage in some of the events that they provide exposure to, and  the ones that they put on themselves. This weekend I attended the Native Child and Family Services 15^th annual pow wow at Dufferin Grove Park. For those of you who are unfamiliar with what a pow wow is; it is basically a Native American celebration of life and community, and giving back to the earth/creator what we have taken from it for our own existence. This weekends event was a bit of an exception for myself due to the fact that I would have been going with my family regardless, because my younger brother also danced in it; this was also his first traditional pow wow in which he participated, so it was especially exciting. It turned out to be, not only a beautiful day, but also a special day for me and my family. Having been to many types of pow wows myself in the past, it is always great to see pow wows which occur a in a very urban environment, there was such a diverse crowd there last saturday all engaging in the dancing, food, and selling and buying of traditional items and regalia that it was heartwarming to see.

On a larger note though I don’t want to merely finish this post rambling on about my own life, but rather I’d like to to share with all the readers the importance in getting off campus and easing your mind from all that work with some great events such as these, they truly can not only give you inspiration, but in many cases allow you to spend some quality time with family and friends. Do it up.   Shadrak (Shak)