Angel Sampson remembers what it was like when she and her siblings first started the Wutawnty inter-tribal powwow 28 years ago with only $5 in their credit union account.
“We literally just winged it,” she said. “It was pretty funny, back in the day. Every little while I was being stopped by everybody asking what was going on.”
While powwows are not traditionally part of W̱SÁNEĆ culture, elders of the Sampson family have been organizing the Yellow Wolf Inter-tribal Powwow for many years.
The powwow — being held at Stelly’s Secondary School from Friday to today — has grown into one of the largest cultural events on the Saanich Peninsula, drawing about 5,000 visitors every year from Western Canadian provinces as well as Washington state, Idaho, Oregon and Montana.
The event is flush with performances by drummers, competitive powwow dancers and vendors from across the Pacific Northwest; it honours and celebrates important traditions of generations past.
This weekend’s powwow originates in Idaho through Sampson’s mother, whose traditional name is Wutawnty.
Sampson said that her grandmother was part of the Nez Perce nation’s now-legendary attempted flight to Canada led by Chief Joseph in 1877, a 1,900-kilometre fighting retreat that was stopped by the U.S. Army just before the border in Montana.
“She was a little girl when her mom said to her, ‘pretend you got hit by the soldier’s bullets and fall to the ground. The horses will jump over us, and when they get far enough away, we can go and hide in the woods and make our way back home,’ ” she said.
The powwow will revert to its original name of Wutawnty next year in part to honour and remember the past struggles of Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) women, Sampson said.
Close to entering its third decade, a second generation is starting to take over the reins of the powwow.
Renee Sampson is in her second year of helping with the event.
“It’s been a real honour just to be able to be with the family and learn the ways of the powwow,” she said, adding that she has travelled to Idaho to attend powwows held by the Nez Perce Nation to see in person the traditions that she is taking on from her sila (grandparents).
“Our ancestors, they’re just smiling down at us because we’re on the right track,” she said.
“Every time we dance, we always say we’re dancing for the people that can’t dance anymore.”
Her daughters in particular have taken a shine to powwow dancing and are participating in powwow circuits.
“That’s all they want to do,” she said, smiling. “They’re not interested in their lacrosse and hockey anymore.”
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