Colourful regalia, the sound of drums and pride of culture were on full display as the final day of the Speaking Our Truth Competition Pow Wow got underway Sunday, Sept. 10.
“The pow wow is a very special weekend for us,” said Williams Lake First Nation Chief Willie Sellars as he welcomed everyone to the Chief William Pow Wow Arbor.
“The arbor that we are sitting in today was an arbor that was built by our people at WLFN.”
He said the arbor spans multiple legacies of leaders and band membership.
“We have a strong, strong, legacy of pow wows in our community. We have champions and elders who really hold it up in a high regard. There is the importance of healing that comes with bringing people together in a good way.”
Sellars said 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of the Chief William Pow Wow Arbor, to which the crowd clapped and gave some vocal approval.
“There is a lot of healing that is happening here. There are a lot of prayers and sacredness and nothing brings people together better than what we are doing right here, right now. We are celebrating, but we are also praying for those who cannot make it. We are healing together as Indigenous and non-Indigenous.”
Thanking everyone for attending, Sellars welcomed everyone to Williams Lake First Nation.
For the third day in a row the sun was shining and the sky was blue.
There was wind blowing dust in the parking lot Sunday afternoon, but the wind was not felt inside arbor.
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