18 Stunning Shots from Wikwemikong Annual Cultural Festival

18 Stunning Shots from Wikwemikong Annual Cultural  Festival

Danielle Da Silva is an acclaimed photographer and founder of the Photographers Without Borders (Canada) organization (NGO).

She recently published a gorgeous pow wow photo essay on the PWB website and we just had to share it with you! In this photo series she visits the Wikwemikong Annual Culture Festival that's held in unceded territory on Manitoulin Island in Ontario, Canada.

Here's a little bit about the pow wow in Danielle's own words:

It was in 1961 that band member Rosemary Odjig raised the tradition of the “pow wow” in her hometown of Wikwemikong after witnessing a pow wow in another community and realizing the importance of practicing and remembering the teachings of her community's ancestors. What started as the “Wikwemikong Indian Days” gathering almost 60 years ago is now known as the “Wikwemikong Annual Cultural Festival” and is revered as one of the largest and longest-running pow wows in North America…

Rosemary Odjig's vision of an annual pow wow in the spirit of reviving teachings, stories, language and traditions seems to have become a success. Today the Wikwemikong Annual Culture Festival pow wow is a fun way for families and friends to get together, to dance and sing to the hypnotic beat of the drum in the Sacred Circle, eat local food, and share stories, language, knowledge and crafts with each other. Talented drum groups and dancers partake in friendly competition for cash prizes, offering mesmerizing and educational entertainment for spectators. Everyone from all walks of life are welcome to watch, support and participate.

Thank you so much for letting us share your photos and words with our readers Danielle!

Please make sure you visit the original post at https://www.photographerswithoutborders.org/online-magazine/2017/8/9/powerful-portraits-from-canadas-largest-pow-wow.

If you'd like to hear more about the work that Photographers Without Borders is doing, please visit www.photographerswithoutborders.org.

You can also follow them on Instagram @photographerswithoutborders and @thedanielledasilva

Last Updated on February 14, 2024 by Paul G



About Toyacoyah Brown

Toyacoyah Brown is an enrolled member of the Comanche Nation, currently living in Chicago. She received her B.A. in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and an M.A. in Media Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. When she's not scouring the Internet for fun things to share with PowWows.com readers you can find her digging for vinyl in her local record store or curling up with a good book.


Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Find a Pow Wow
Near you

Search the US & Canada

What to expect
at your first Pow Wow

Sign Up for our Free E-newsletter