‘My hands went into this’: Community makes regalia ahead of Father’s Day powwow
Global News
The Vancouver Aboriginal Health Society applied for funding so community members could have low-barrier access to culture and regalia making.
Powwow regalia is expensive. A handmade jingle dress, grass dance outfit or fancy shawl can run you hundreds — if not thousands — of dollars, making this aspect of culture difficult for many to connect with or force most to break the bank.
It’s a gap the Vancouver Aboriginal Health Society (VAHS) saw and knew it needed to address ahead of its first annual Honouring our Fathers, Grandfathers and Sons powwow.
“We have a lot of families that were interested in dancing and making regalia but the cost of living is just so expensive that it’s not in their price range,” said Rosemary Stager-Wallace, executive director of VAHS. “We really wanted to give people low-barrier access to their culture.”
With at least 60 regalia’s already made, dozens of people have been flooding 449 E Hastings St. every Monday and Thursday for the past several months to learn about regalia, how to use a sewing machine and where ribbons and beadwork should be placed. VAHS applied for grants, hired instructors and aimed their programming towards powwow prep to ensure everyone would be ready.
“The response has been really amazing, we’ve had so much engagement with the community, (they’re) so happy to be able to do this and we’ve made regalia from little kids to elders,” said Stager-Wallace. “Britannia has been having powwow nights every Wednesday so people have been able to learn how to dance in a culturally safe space and then with us providing the material and the instructors, it’s just really given a lot of people that opportunity that they wouldn’t have had before.”
“They’re really excited about being able to finally make a regalia and dance.”
Powwows are gatherings where people dance, compete, play music, sell beadwork and come together. They can be small and intimate, made just for the nation, or large and wide-reaching with people travelling from across the province, country or even North America.
They’re an important expression of culture, foster community and pride and are an illustration of resistance.