Manito Ahbee - Aboriginal Day Competition Pow Wow (Throwback post)

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

One thing that happened to be going on while we were in Winnipeg was the Manito Ahbee. We hadn't been aware of it before, but on hearing about it, decided it would be an excellent thing to go along to. And one of our housesit neighbours kindly offered to look after Jess for the day, so that we were free to go.

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee is an Aboriginal event that happens over a number of days; the day we were interested in was the Competition Pow Wow. Some pow wows are private events, but this one allows public entry with an inexpensive ticket. When we arrived, we were surprised how few visitors were there.

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

A pow wow is a social gathering, that will normally involve drumming, singing and dancing. This competition pow wow has Aboriginal groups from across North America, coming to compete. Not that the prizes are big - they only receive prizes of between $50-400 per category.

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

They start off with the Grand Entry, led by the Eagle Staff, and this is a pretty impressive parade all by itself. They also have a Miss Manito Ahbee, who is a kind of thinking person's pageant queen; she does a lot of the same things that your typical Miss 'X' might do, suvh as openings etc, but she is also expected to undertake more meaningful tasks that represent the Aboriginal culture and history.

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

There are different dance categories for men and women. The women do tradition, jingle (named for the bits on their skirts that jingle when they move), and fancy shawl dances. The men do the traditional, grass and prairie chicken or fancy bustle dances.

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

All of the dances have their own regalia - they aren't called costumes - which fit the style and meaning of the dance. There isn't much in the way of information available, so it is helpful to have looked up a bit about it before you go, but even if you know nothing about it at all, it is fascinating to watch.

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

The really nice thing about this event, is that it is run by teh Aboriginal people, for the Aboriginal people. None of this is a show put on for anyone else, they just allow us to watch. It is generally quite low key, and it seemed to me that it can be a bit chaotic and haphazard at times, but that just added to the authenticity of the event.

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Manito Ahbee, Winnipeg

Around Winnipeg (Throwback post)

Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg

While in Winnipeg, we visited a few places, some on our own, and a couple with our host.

Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg

One visit was to the nearby Assiniboine Park. the park is pretty big, and we only visited a little bit, so we focussed on some of the gardens and the Pavilion. I really like waterlilies, so enjoyed looking at those, especially as we also spotted some lovely little frogs amongst the lilypads.

Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg

Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg

Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg

We checked out the art galley, but weren't really that impressed. We preferred the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden outside. The park is definitely a good place to walk about, sit and relax for a while if you are in the area.

Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg

Fort Gibraltar, Winnipeg

We also checked out the historical site of Fort Gibraltar. The fort was built in 1809 by the North West Company, who were in the fur trading business and were bitter rivals of the Hudson's Bay Trading Company. Battles were fought, but in the end, the two companies merged in 1821, under the Hudson's name.

Fort Gibraltar, Winnipeg

These days, Fort Gibraltar is a living museum, with displays of weaving and blacksmithing, as well as tours of the fort with decent explanations of the history of the place and what life here was like.

Fort Gibraltar, Winnipeg

Fort Gibraltar, Winnipeg

 

Fort Gibraltar, Winnipeg

Fort Whyte, Winnipeg

Our host took us out to a couple of places that were a bit further out of town. One of those was Fort Whyte, which is a nature reserve, with nature trails and interpretative walks. It is a pleasant enough day out, and there is the added bonus of seeing the herd of bison, the little Manitoba Burrowing Owls, and the rather cute Prairie Dogs.

Fort Whyte, Winnipeg

Bison at Fort Whyte, Winnipeg

Prairie Dogs at Fort Whyte, Winnipeg

Fort Whyte, Winnipeg

Burrowing Owl, Fort Whyte, Winnipeg

Prairie Dogs at Fort Whyte, Winnipeg

Prairie Dog at Fort Whyte, Winnipeg

Ducks at Fort Whyte, Winnipeg

Turtle atFort Whyte, Winnipeg

Gimli, Lake Manitoba

Our other trip out was to the town of Gimli, on the west shoreline of Lake Manitoba. Gimli is one of three sites that made up New Iceland, after the Canadian Government gave land to Icelandic settlers back in 1875. Until 1887, they their own laws and arrangements, before they merged into the Canadian system.

Gimli, Lake Manitoba

In 1897, they opened the town to other settlers from Ukraine, Poland, Germany and Hungary. The town is certainly part of Canada, but it retains strong links to the culture and history of its first inhabitants. There is an annual Icelandic Festival, that dates back to 1932 in Gimli, and earlier still elsewhere in Manitoba.

Gimli, Lake Manitoba

Gimli, Lake Manitoba

Gimli, Lake Manitoba

Sea Wall, Gimli, Lake Manitoba

One rather nice touch in the town, is the decoration of the otherwise dull sea wall with 72 painted murals. The work began in 1997, and carries on as the older ones  become weather worn and need replacing.

Gimli Glider, Gimli, Lake Manitoba

Many of the paintings depict something of relevance to the area, and there is one of an Air Canada aeroplane, known as the Gimli Glider. The aircraft was en route form Montreal to Edmonton on 23 July 1983, when it somehow ran out of fuel. It's crew, Captain Robert (Bob) Pearson, and First Officer Maurice Quintal, somehow managed to glide the plane down and make an emergency landing on a race track which was a former military air base. Everyone made it safely off the plane.

Gimli, Lake Manitoba

Sea Wall, Gimli, Lake Manitoba