Calgary Stampede Powwow returns with a bang
CBC
The Calgary Stampede Powwow is back and it's bigger and better than before, organizers say.
The event is being held at the Scotiabank Saddledome for the second year in a row and includes a plethora of performances from Indigenous participants.
Expect energetic competitive dancing coupled with singing and drumming at the two-day event that will involve more than 1,000 performers competing for cash prizes and the coveted top spot in various categories.
Organizing the powwow on such a grand scale is a dream come true for Cheryl Crowchief, the Stampede's powwow co-ordinator.
"The culture that I come from being First Nation is so rich, so vibrant, so informative and so rooted in history. We keep our culture alive through powwow, through storytelling, through our kids," Crowchief said.
"It's a contest, a friendly contest, but it's still a contest. Everybody loves a good contest."
This event has long been an aspiration for Crowchief, who wanted to fundraise and organize a similar event nearly 10 years ago with her husband.
"[We wanted to] create a powwow of this magnitude and the Stampede just was on the same page as us and said this is what we want to do," she said.
"I want people to come and visit our territory, to visit our people, to visit our tribes and see how welcoming, inviting [the event is] and honestly, come to the greatest outdoor show on earth."
This year's powwow has participants from Canada and the U.S., including states as far-flung as New Mexico and Arizona.
The event has been planned on a much grander scale this year and includes better production, more lighting and drones, according to Colleen Caron, operations production manager for the Stampede Powwow.
"Currently, right now we're in production for two days, six hours a day. We have an opportunity to make it a three- or four- or five-day event depending on the interest of the competitors," she said. "Due to its popularity, I can see it growing in the future, for sure."
Many participants at the powwow are highly experienced and have been dancing for years.
For instance, one of the competitors, Ralph Large, from Saddle Lake Cree Nation, gravitated toward dancing as a child.
An 87-year-old Alberta man is fighting extradition to the United Kingdom to stand trial for historical allegations of physical and sexual assault involving minors.
Eight casinos across southwest B.C. have been sold to First Nations in the last two years, with the province's gambling scene set to be reshaped as a result.
Hamilton hosts the Junos Sunday, and the musical awards show is bringing tourists, musicians, concerts and a ton of themed events to the city this week.
The multi-million-dollar deal at the heart of a high-profile fight between the Canadian government and one of the world’s biggest carmakers contains multiple clauses about the company’s footprint in Ontario, according to a copy obtained by CBC Windsor.
In recent months, Calgary police have carried out three day-long safety blitzes, parading out dozens of officers to flood an area with their increased presence — at least, temporarily.
A national organization is seeking people with experience in Canada's forestry sector as they put together a working group that will examine ways to improve forest recovery following wildfires.
Ella Heyder is bracing for a breakup, even though she already moved out decades ago.
Shawne Hopkins never saw it coming.
Politicians return to Queen’s Park Monday for a shortened spring session, as Premier Doug Ford prepares to unveil his eight budget amid heightened global economic uncertainty.
Despite a recent announcement that a water supply pipeline will be build in Oneida Nation of the Thames, some members of the community say that's no excuse for taking water for granted.
As scandal has swirled around former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, questions and curiosity have also focused on his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, and their daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
Friday may have been the first day of spring, but winter storms are not over yet for Newfoundland.
While we officially welcomed spring last week, an incoming system will be a reminder that snow is still very much part of the new season, especially early on.