Walking in 2 worlds: Dakota Nation Winterfest showcases culture and sports

Darian Brown is living and competing in two worlds this weekend — powwow and hockey.

Brown, 25, is among those gathered this week in Brandon, Man., for Dakota Nation Winterfest, the annual celebration of Indigenous culture and sports hosted by Sioux Valley Dakota Nation.

On Friday night, the men's fancy dancer participated in the grand entry for the Winterfest powwow, before rushing to the ice rink an hour later to compete in seniors hockey at Brandon's Keystone Centre.

"Every year … just gets better and better," he said. "It's a time away from, like, work … [and] stress in general."

The four-day event, running from Thursday to Sunday, includes traditional activities like powwow and jigging, sports tournaments and a trade show, all designed to help people get active at the height of winter.

Brown has been coming to Winterfest since he was born, and hockey and powwow are intertwined for him.  

Winterfest is an important opportunity for youth to demonstrate their skills in the powwow arena or on the ice, where they can "showcase their skill, their speed – you know, their playmaking ability," Brown said. 

Sioux Valley Dakota Nation Chief Vince Tacan says Winterfest brings communities together and offers "a mental health break ... for  our people."

Events like Winterfest and Sioux Valley's annual summer powwow are times when the community can come together, Tacan said, but he'd like to see even more opportunities to do so.

"It's difficult to keep the morale of the community up.… There's a lot of challenges in our First Nations," Tacan said. 

"This  weekend gives us an opportunity to forget some of those challenges and just focus on showcasing the culture and the athleticism that the kids have, and the adults."

Sioux Valley's chief and council are trying to inspire youth to embrace both sports and culture, Tacan said. Luckily, the community has inspiration in hometown NHL hero Zach Whitecloud, who took home the Stanley Cup with the Las Vegas Golden Knights last season.

That victory is showing younger people that hard work, a good work ethic and commitment are qualities that can help them succeed on the ice and beyond, Tacan said. 

"Those are the things we want to promote in our community for our young people so that ... we can fill the roles that we need," he said.