Drumbeats

Photo: Sydney Hedderich

The Museum of Ontario Archaeology in London provided the setting for my first experience with a spiritual gathering to honour Aboriginal culture. I was not disappointed.

Before the Traditional Pow Wow and Harvest Festival, I scouted the Museum grounds, between the palisade of pointed cedar poles and a Carolinian forest. The peacefulness and beauty of the site promised a memorable weekend celebration.

During subsequent visits, I enjoyed chatting with exhibitors, storytellers, dancers, potters, and Museum staff. In the elm longhouse, where corn cooked over smouldering fires, smoke rising through holes in the roof, Nina of Many Names told the story of how the corn husk dolls came to be. Closer to the edge of the forest, members of the London Potters Guild recreated an ancient pit firing. Beyond, Museum staff taught children about archaeology at a hands-on dig.

Around the appointed hour, in the large grassy arena, Master of Ceremonies Gordon Nicotine-Sands announced the Grand Entry, sacred in nature. More drumbeats followed, as did singing and dancing in regalia. When combined, the rhythms and colours inspired my images of movement, captured in two-step time.

On the last day, a bald eagle circled high above, tipping its wings to the resonating drumbeats that closed the ceremony. It was a fitting signature to an unforgettable experience.