A Pow Wow is a cel­e­bra­tion; it is a cul­tur­al event that brings peo­ple and nations togeth­er and an oppor­tu­ni­ty to hear tra­di­tion­al drum songs and see all dif­fer­ent types of danc­ing. The day-long cel­e­bra­tion includes an open­ing Pipe Cer­e­mo­ny, pre­sen­ta­tions to the grad­u­ates and a com­mu­ni­ty feast in the after­noon. All activ­i­ties are free and every­one is welcome.

This year’s Grad­u­a­tion Pow Wow takes place on May 7^th at the Investor’s Group Ath­let­ic Cen­tre at the Uni­ver­si­ty of Man­i­to­ba’s Fort Gar­ry Cam­pus. Our cur­rent sched­ule of events is as follows:

• 9:30 am — Pipe Ceremony
• 1 pm — Grand Entry
• 2:30 pm — Hon­our­ing the graduates 
• 4 pm — Feast and cul­tur­al pro­gram­ming resumes
• 6 pm — Hoop Dancers (please reg­is­ter in advance)
• 7 pm — Clos­ing Prayer and payouts

Infor­ma­tion for Guests and Visitors

Thank you for com­ing to cel­e­brate the suc­cess of our Indige­nous grad­u­ates! You are invit­ed to attend all parts of the day.

Please arrive before 9:30 a.m. so that you can be seat­ed before the start of the cer­e­mo­ny. Women are asked to wear long skirts to hon­our the teach­ings of this cer­e­mo­ny, which may last up to an hour.

Please note: All vis­i­tors, com­mu­ni­ty mem­bers and oth­er UM grad­u­ates are asked to enter the Investors Group Ath­let­ic Cen­tre gym­na­si­um via the stairs/​elevator to the third floor.

After the Pipe Cer­e­mo­ny, guests will be asked to return to their seats in the vis­i­tors’ area as prepa­ra­tions begin for the dancers and singers.

For the rest of the day, you are encour­aged to watch the beau­ti­ful and dif­fer­ent types of Pow Wow dances, vis­it the craft tables on the third floor, and attend the com­mu­ni­ty feast after the hon­our­ing of the grad­u­ates at 2:30 p.m. This year the feast will be served in Investors Group Ath­let­ic Cen­tre.

Please note that there are var­i­ous times through­out the day when vis­i­tors are encour­aged to come down to the Pow Wow floor. These may include: Inter­trib­al Dances and Spe­cials like the Hoop Dance. The emcee will explain and announce these oppor­tu­ni­ties.

If you have any ques­tions through­out the day, please look for vol­un­teers wear­ing black t‑shirts or staff/​security helpers.

For more infor­ma­tion, please vis­it our web­site!