'It's a celebration': Powwow held at Lethbridge elementary school
Organizers of a powwow at a Lethbridge elementary school on Wednesday said the event is a family gathering and a celebration.
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. -
For the first time since 2019, the Holy Spirit School Division held a powwow.
The field of Children of St. Martha School was filled with drumming, singing and dancing.
"The celebration is all about children. And also included in that beautiful celebration is our beautiful elders, our beautiful grandmothers," said Elder Christiana Fox.
COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns have kept the school and school division from holding a powwow until this fall.
Principal Shannon Collier sees this as the school welcoming the community back in.
"We're welcoming community back to the school. This is a family gathering – it's a celebration."
The students from Lethbridge and Taber who attended the powwow were treated to displays of Indigenous culture.
But they were also there to witness something very significant in the school's history.
Blackfoot elders bestowed a Blackfoot name on the school – Naatoowootak’oyis, which means "holy spirit lodge."
Collier is honoured to have the school receive its new Blackfoot name.
"With the pandemic and people not entering our building, we've still had the gifts and the advice and the healing from our elders. And so to receive a name from them means the world to us."
While Fox is also very happy about the new Blackfoot name, she's just happy to be able to be able to attend events like this one once again.
"This is one of life's treasures of people together. A gathering like this is a blessing, a very special blessing."
The Holy Spirit School Division hopes to hold more powwows at its schools in the future.
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