The A’nowara’ko:wa Arena in Kawehnoke (Cornwall Island), located across the St. Lawrence River from Cornwall Ontario, will be the scene of the 2013 Akwesasne International Pow-Wow, from Saturday, September 7 to Sunday, September 8.
Music, food and cultural celebration will combine for first-time as well as returning Pow-Wow visitors. The event will bring together Native artisans, drummers and dancers from the wider Iroquoia populations. Doors will open at 10 AM each day.
The visiting special guests Remesha Drum Group will open the Grand Entry at the arena at 11:30 AM on Saturday, and will make a return appearance at the 5:00PM meal intermission that same day. The Hotinonshonni Cultural Youth Group will perform traditional Hoop Dancing before the 11:30 AM Grand Entry on Sunday.
There are over 200 participating dancers registered with the Pow-Wow organizers, hailing from Akwesasne, as well as Quebec and British Columbia native territories and the United States.
General admission is $8 per day for adults and $5 for children aged 6 to 12, per day. A two-day adult pass bracelet is available for $12. Senior citizens and children under age 6 are admitted free of charge on either day.
Total Pow-Wow event attendance is expected at over 10,000 this year, according to event organizers. A $3 event program being sold at the event also includes a free bridge pass over the International Bridge for visitors.
Special instructions from the Canadian Border Security Agency to Pow-Wow visitors from the United States require northbound traffic to report directly to the Cornwall port of entry for immigration inspection, prior to attending the cultural event at the arena. Once processed by the CBSA, Pow-Wow visitors will be permitted to complete their destination to Kawehnoke (Cornwall Island). Violators of the policy in the past were at risk of losing possession of their vehicle with steep fines associated with impoundment.
The Pow-Wow website is located at: www.akwesasnepowwow.com
Contact information with the Pow Wow organizers is via email at: akwesasnepowwow@yahoo.com
By Charles Kader
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