Photo: The Powwow Club is funded through the PCRC. NIRSMC/Facebook
By Renee Lilley
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Portage Graphic Leader
Inside the back room of the National Indigenous Residential School Museum of Canada, the steady rhythm of a drum group is helping a new generation connect with its roots.
The Portage la Prairie museum is currently home to the Powwow Club, a weekly cultural program led by exhibits curator Brittany Daniels. The initiative, funded by the Portage Community Revitalization Corporation (PCRC), aims to revitalize Indigenous traditions through dance and song.
“I think it’s just important because we need to keep our culture alive and keep it going,” said Daniels, a Long Plain member who began her own journey with dance as a child with her grandmother. “I remember falling asleep at her feet while I was watching the powwow.”
Every Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., the museum clears space for participants ranging from young children to elders. While Daniels provides instruction on the basic steps of various styles, including jingle and fancy dance, the sessions are largely about community and “freestyling” to the beat of live drumming and instructional videos.
“We have a drum group come in, and most of the time we’ve been using YouTube, so we go back and forth between the two,” Daniels said. “This time we were fortunate we had some local powwow dancers bring their kids … so we’re all dancing together.”
The club is part of a broader series of cultural workshops supported by the PCRC, which has also included ribbon skirt making and upcoming sessions on moccasin making. While the current dance program is scheduled to conclude at the end of February, the high turnout — including 11 participants this past week — has Daniels hoping for future funding to extend the sessions.
The program is free and open to the public on a drop-in basis. Interested participants can visit the museum at 5000 Crescent Road West or call 204-857-6464.