Sunday, July 3, 2011

Research after the fact...MAWIO'MI

Yesterday I went to a PowWow held in Halifax. This was my first one though I know, as a child, I attended bits of Powwows in Alberta. This one was the second one held on the Halifax Common's and it was so thrilling last year to see teepees set up where baseball games are usually played. Last year I couldn't attend. This year I was determined.

Why? I love ritual of any sort and as a Canadian, I've been long fascinated with aboriginal culture and appalled at our treatment of same. Furthermore, the book I am doing a final revision on, has a PowWow. Yes, I made it up. Oh, I researched but nothing is the same as actually being in the centre of something you are trying to capture.

I now realize that I got more right than I should have expected and I'm excited to go back in and enrich my writing with my experience yesterday. I will not be gratuitous with it though. In other words, I wrote what I wrote as it served the story - I am not serving truth but the story - but I think I can do a better job of both as I incorporate this new knowing.

Here are a few photos from the Grand Entry...



7 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

That would be really cool to experience!

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

That must have been an excellent expereience, thought the pictures were also excllent.

Yvonne.

Jan Morrison said...

Hi Alex - yes it was a great opportunity. I think there are more PowWows than people realize - check it out - there might be one near you!
Yvonne - thank you - it was a good chance for me to check details and just enjoy the whole thing.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Living in Oregon, I attended several Indian festivals,, including one in a log cabin/lodge. Native American Indian culture is so amazing.

writing and living by Richard P Hughes said...

Nice photos.

Jan Morrison said...

Diane - I agree - I find it endlessly facinating.
Thanks Richard - I can use them as an inspiration for my work and I got a few that I will enlarge...

Jan Morrison said...
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