BEAVER LAKE - There was no shortage of things to do during the August long weekend. The Beaver Lake Cree Nation Competition Pow Wow, which has been an annual tradition in the community since the early 1980s, took place alongside Lac La Biche Summer Days from Aug. 2-4.
This year’s pow-wow brought together roughly 700 spectators and dancers from near and far who gathered at the Beaver Lake Pow-Wow grounds for three days of celebrating Indigenous culture and dance.
The event got underway on Friday evening with a grand entry into the arbour on the Pow-Wow grounds. This procession included dancers dressed in colourful traditional regalia, the Beaver Lake chief and council, elders, representatives of Lac La Biche County and the RCMP (who were dressed in their ceremonial red serge uniforms), along with the leadership of various companies that sponsor the annual Pow-Wow.
There were Grand Entries during each day of the Pow Wow, along with daily flag raisings, pipe ceremonies, and princess pageant.
The categories for dancing included Men’s (Traditional, Chicken, Fancy and Grass) and Women’s (Traditional, Old-Style Jingle). There were also Men’s Women’s and Junior Girls specials as well as drum competitions, with various drum groups - including the Saskatchewan-based Warrior Society - performing throughout the weekend.