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Curve Lake Pow Wow
- Posted by: Tim Johnson on September 24, 2012
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A couple of weekends ago, many followed the sound of the drums and drove out to Curve Lake for a pow wow that, over the span of two days, included dance, songs, crafts, contests and presentations. Set on the shores of picturesque Curve Lake, this First Nations community—just 30 minutes outside Peterborough—has long been a place of cultural exchange, a village that welcomes neighbours and friends to explore Ojibwa and other aboriginal cultures. This event, which also included traditional foods, furthered that goal in fun, enjoyable ways.
And it’s fair to say more than a few who ventured out to the pow wow stopped in at the Whetung Ojibwa Centre, just a few minutes’ drive from the event site. Here, I spoke with Rachel Whetung, who told me that she meets many people for whom their visit to Curve Lake is their first to a First Nations community, and that some arrive here with a dated, stereotypical view of aboriginal people—one straight out of old Hollywood movies, for which historical accuracy (and cultural sensitivity) was not a priority. At Whetung, she says, they take pleasure in dispelling myths, and not just about the Ojibwa—the Centre includes a small museum that recounts the history of Curve Lake, as well as hand-made items from First Nations people across North America. So a visit to the pow wow, and to the Whetung Ojibwa Crafts and Art Gallery, is definitely about more than a good time—it can actually be a life and vision-changing experience. —Tim Johnson
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