Festivals and Events: Fisherman's Powwow

Miramichi is a city full of history and a variety of different cultures, which include First Nations, Acadians, Scottish and Irish people. The Fisherman's Powwow is one of four powwows that takes place annually.

The Fisherman's Powwow has a lot of history behind it. When settlers came to Miramichi, the First Nations peoples were disturbed and forced to share the area with the newcomers. One of the things that suffered was their freedom to fish. The Fisherman's Powwow is an event that brings everyone together in the spirit of peace and friendship.

The powwow kicked off on June 30 with activities for the children and live entertainment. On July 1 there was an early start with a 6 a.m. Sunrise Ceremony. 

The ceremony started with a prayer circle. First everyone faced the East and prayed for the women in their lives; then they faced the South and prayed for the children in their lives; the West was for the men in their lives; and finally the North everyone prayed to the White Bear for the Elders, for ourselves and for the important people in our lives.

Part of the ceremony included smudging. Smudging is a way to cleanse the body and help us to open up to see the world in a more enlightened way. It's done with medicinal herbs to create the smoke which you then gather in your hands and flow over yourself to cleanse the body.

The next part of the ceremony was the traditional smoking of the pipe.

For anyone who didn't want to, or when the tobacco ran out, you touched it to each shoulder and blessed yourself before passing it onto the next person in the circle.

Once the pipe was done being passed around, the Honour Song was sang.

Finally, to end the ceremony, a hug circle was started. Each person went around and hugged people around the circle and said, "Have a good day". This was to encourage a wonderful day for each person who attended the ceremony.

Later that morning was the parade of boats and the Grand Entry.

The parade of boats coming into the Miramichi River from Baie Ste. Anne.

The first boat.

One of the Acadian boats.

The First Nations Grand Entry.

All the flags.

First Nations regalia.

Decked out in full regalia.

The jingle dancers.

Scottish pipers.

The Scottish, Irish and Acadian grand entry.

The Fisherman's Powwow finished off with musical entertainment at Waterford Green during the afternoon. This is definitely one of many interesting historical events that takes place over the summer in Miramichi that is worth checking out in the years to come.