The powwow is now moving to become a biannual event according to Ahenakew. Ahenakew said there are a variety of individuals who hold the powwow near and dear to their hearts who volunteer many hours each year to make the powwow a reality. “There’s a lot of craft makers out there, people who have beadwork, photographers, people selling knick-knack’s here and there, other people that are developing other traditional crafts… the arena there is the place to sell them,” Ahenakew said.īetween 35 and 50 people are involved in planning the event each year it takes place. “It’s just amazing how packed the stands get during that one special.Īs the powwow is a competition powwow, which features dancers and drum groups competing for money, roughly $60,000 in prize money is handed out at each gathering to attract the best dancers in the world in every category.ĭancing aside, the lobby of the Art Hauser Center features beadwork, crafts, and clothing by vendors from around Saskatchewan. “The spotlight special brings some of the best fancy dancers from across North America to show what they’ve got and show off why they’re some of the best in the world,” Ahenakew said. The spotlight special is always a crowd favourite according to Ahenakew, as judges take into consideration how much noise each dancer draws.
