Photo of: Faye Cote holding photos of her late father Tony Cote
Photo by: Danielle Dufour
Last Thursday afternoon, First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv) hosted the Late Tony Cote Welcome Back Powwow, bringing the community together to recognize Cote’s impact on Indigenous education. The event has carried his name since 2014.
Photo of: Grand Entry Tony Cote Powwow
Photo by: Danielle Dufour
“I would like to recognize the Powwow we’re having, in honour of our commissioner, he represented so much to our students, our faculty and staff who got to work along side, and that’s the late Tony Cote,” said Dr. Jacqueline Ottmann President (FNUniv).
Cote had a pivotal role in shaping Indigenous post-secondary education in Saskatchewan.
He was a Korean war veteran and sports pioneer and known for creating the Saskatchewan First Nations Summer and Winter Games.
Faye Cote, daughter of the late Tony Cote, attended the event with family members.
“Our family is so proud of our dad, who did a lot for our First Nations people and for the First Nations University of Canada,” said Cote. “We’re proud of our dad because he’s done so much, especially for the youth.”
She said Tony Cote wanted youth to get a good education and play sports so that they could have a good life.
Photo of: Venice Gagnon and Jason LastFeather attending the Tony Cote Powwow Photo by: Danielle Dufour
Venice Gagnon, a 16-year-old originally from Ontario and now residing in Cowessess First Nation, attended the powwow with his friend Jason. They have both been dancing for the past two years and are competing in the traditional men’s dance.
“I used to go to powwow’s a lot as a kid and I used to think, what if I could do that,” said Gagnon. “I just watched everybody else do their own steps and picked up on my own.”
Jason Lastfeather, a 16-year-old from Cowessess First Nation grew up watching his dad dance old style grass.
“My mom is battling a battle that she can’t really fight by herself, so I just dance,” said Lastfeather. “That’s what I called it, my warrior style, then I go out there and fight for my mom, fight for my family because they’re really struggling.”
Since being adopted by his grandmother, he has learned many traditional teachings including pipe ceremony, sweats and how to rain dance and said, “I’m doing ok, I really like this way of life.”