'It's heartwarming': Indoor powwow brings hundreds together for MMIWG2S
A powwow in the Winnipeg's North End on Saturday was the first one to be held indoors since the pandemic started two years ago.
The Beating Heart Pow Wow was organized by the Hudson family, who lost their daughter Eishia Hudson in a police incident in 2020.
The powwow gets its name from William Hudson's youngest daughter.
"Because our daughter Anastasia, her traditional gifted name, is Beating Heart, so it comes with protection and guidance," said Cheyenne Ducharme, Anastasia's mother. "I know that for Anastasia, this is her way of healing, she dances and that's what brings healing towards our family and potentially, hopefully for others."
The turnout for the event was at the maximum 350 people allowed.
"It's heartwarming. It's so wonderful to see everybody together. I mean it's very overwhelming, but in a positive way," said Ducharme.
The powwow is the first one held inside since the pandemic started two years ago, signifying an important return to normal.
"I want to acknowledge everyone who had made the sacrifice over the past two years, our chiefs, our health team leaders, the people who came together to keep each other safe for the past two years, and it's tremendous that we're able to gather this way," said Arlen Dumas, Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.
But more importantly, the powwow also served as a chance to advocate for the missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people -- like Eishia and the many others remembered at the event.
"I have family members, my cousin who's murdered and missing, and as well as many other women and different people who have gone missing and we need to continue that advocacy," said Dumas.
The Hudson family said the powwow was a way to grieve and heal as a community.
"You know, like the gathering we're doing here, the power and having everything together, it's medicine for all of us. You know, it's healing. It makes us all feel good to be together," said William.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Government proposes new policy for federally regulated employees to disconnect from work
In their 2024 budget, the federal government wants to amend the Canada Labour Code, so employers in federally regulated sectors will eliminate work-related communication with employees outside of scheduled hours. If implemented, this would affect roughly 500,000 employees across the country.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.