On a chilly August evening, I am wrapped in a blanket that surrounds my body with warm comfort, as I sit on the hard wooden plank in the Ochapowance First Nation Powwow grand stands. I watch as people scurry in with their families, sharing hugs, smiles and laughs with others around them. Kokum and Nimosom being said to every other elder entering the stands trying to find their seats with their families.
I inhale deeply and immediately smell something burning.. Suddenly a cloud of smoke is cascaded through the air. I inhale deeply and exhale slowly. The sent is strong but not awful. I begin to feel relaxed and safe within my surroundings.
Bang! Bang!
All you hear is the bangs on the drums. It echoing through the stands, Feeling it on the wooden plank under my body as I sit there.
Thud! Bang! Thud!
Words being sung that my brain can't comprehend but my heart warms with understanding. The thuds and bangs become more intense.
I begin to feel the beat underneath my feet and the vibration running through my veins. Enormous headdresses swaying throughout the spotlight shining upon them, the feathers dancing like angels. Feet tapping just like twinkling stars, arms out soaring like an eagle wings in the sky and moving in a circular motion scoping out it's pray.
My heart begins to race to the beat of the drum, my foot begins to tap and a smile forms on my face. In this moment I had a sense of understanding, love, and belonging from a community that I didn't grow up in, but was accepted into with open arms.