Kahnawake welcomes thousands to the Echoes of a Proud Nation Pow-Wow

Roughly 12,000 visitors are expected at this year’s 34th Echoes of a Proud Nation Pow-Wow in the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka (Mohawk) community of Kahnawake on Montreal's South Shore.

Roughly 12,000 visitors are expected at this year’s 34th Echoes of a Proud Nation Pow-Wow. Each year, visitors from across Quebec flock to the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka (Mohawk) community of Kahnawake on the second weekend of July for the celebration of Indigenous culture and community. “When the event is happening, you can hear the drums throughout the whole community,” pow-wow committee member Kimberly Cross says.

The Kahnawake Pow-Wow began in 1991, and it has become the largest event of its kind in the province of Quebec. The two-day event offers performances, crafts and food, but Cross says it’s the story behind the gathering that makes it all the more meaningful. “We commemorate the history of the Oka crisis in 1990.

We have [the event] here on Tekakwitha Island because of the history of the event when the Canadian army landed here,” she explains. The 1990 Oka Crisis was a 78-day standoff between the Mohawk people of Kanesatake and armed forces, triggered by the Town of Oka’s plans to expand a golf course onto Indigenous burial grounds. Cross says it’s about educating and celebrating Mohawk culture alongside visitors in a positive way.