Peace River, Camping, and the Pow Wow
- Jun 6, 2018
- 2 min read
This past weekend, I met up with Liza, the intern from Chateh, and AFL workers from Bushe, to head down to Peace River to attend the Pow Wow. I hadn't attended a Pow Wow before this weekend, but I've seen "bits" of one- A bit of regalia and dancing and drumming in school gyms and at Aboriginal Day. We arrived Saturday and set up camp just outside of town and headed in. When we entered the Arena, nothing could prepare me for the physical reaction I was about to have. The Pow Wow drums reverberated deep and it felt as though my heart missed a few beats to get in sync with the room. Tears welled up in my eyes and my hair stood on end.
"So this is what a Pow Wow feels like", I thought to myself.
I was so immersed in the traditional dancing that I really only got one shaky video with questionable audio. Even though I'm not really a talented videographer or photographer- it would take someone with immense talent to capture the feeling, so dear readers, all you have is my word for it.
Something else I wasn't expecting from this weekend was how beautiful Peace River is. Here's some photos:
As well, Liza and I on a whim decided to head out to 12 foot Davis' gravesite. 12 foot Davis got lucky during the gold rush and was a fur trader. He is known for being a "friend to everyone, and never locking his cabin door". If you want to read more about him, here's a link: https://www.wltribune.com/community/the-tale-of-12-foot-davis/
This statue is 15.3 feet, which drives me insane. Whoever made that decision messed up.
His gravesite is absolutely breathtaking. He was moved to the top of the valley a few years after his death. We spent a half hour taking in the views and sitting in the tall grass.
I'd also like to take this moment to send my well wishes and thoughts to family, friends, and the communities of both Beaver and Chateh. It has been a hard spring of loss and tribulations, so my heart and my hand goes out to all.
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