Celebrate Bermuda's ancestors at Pow Wow

If you have never experienced Bermuda’s Pow Wow you have been missing out on a special and sacred part of the island’s history. 

The two-day event celebrates Bermuda’s Native American roots and is one of the most colourful spectacles enjoyed on the island.

This year, some 50 Native American tribe members will travel to the island in a “celebration of our ancestors”. The event at St David’s Cricket Club grounds takes place this coming Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 5pm. It will take in sacred ceremonies, group dances, traditional music as well as craft and artwork, vendors and traditional St David’s island food. 

Chairman of the St David’s Islanders and Native Community, Nives Venere Filice, told the Bermuda Sun: “Most of the regalia you will see Bermudians wear will be east coast tribal regalia originating from the Pequot, Narragansett and Wampanoag. They wear the same thing — dear skin — as it was all in the same area. We may also have Cherokee roots — they were all captured during the wars. Because St David’s was a very close community a lot of our history was preserved there even though you will probably find that many Bermudians have Native American heritage — Cherokee and Taino included.”

Both days begin with the Grand Entry  — a sacred ceremony performed within a circle. Tribe members, dressed in full regalia, will carry their tribal flags in the circle followed by the lead dancers, dignitaries and elders among others. Bermuda’s own Gombeys (Warwick Troupe) will also take part in the Grand Entry. 

Sacred ceremony

As this is a sacred ceremony, only featured participants are allowed into the circle and no photography is permitted during that time. 

“Whenever you are in the circle you are praying, thinking of ancestors, looking for spiritual healing that is why it is sacred it is to be respected you don’t just walk across the circle to get to the other side you need to be dancing purposefully,” explained Filice.

On the first day there is also a Libation Ceremony — where water is poured in the four directions and ancestors are honoured with the launch of a wreath of flowers into the water. This is followed by inter-tribal dancing where anyone, regalia or not, can go into the circle.

There are then different traditional dances such as the blanket dance and pipe dance done by those in full regalia.

The great thing about the Pow Wow is that anyone can join in the celebrations. Throughout the day there are social dances where everyone is invited to dance in the circle. 

There will be craft and artwork vendors including a vat of fish chowder bubbling over cedar wood.

“Filice said: “Among the dignitaries coming to this year’s Pow Wow are the chief of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe — Vernon ‘Silent Drum’ Lopez. We are having Amelia Bingham — one of the oldest clan mothers of the Mashpee Wampanoag. She is around 92. Also ‘Tall Oak’ will be here, he was instrumental in reconnecting Bermuda. The other dignitary is Jessie ‘Little Doe’ Baird she is vice chair of Wampanoag tribe. Her husband Jason Baird is the medicine tribe for Aqquinah Wampanoag tribe. We have tribal council member Trish Keli Inui. We have tribal council member Cassius Spears Junior — the tribes are governed by elected council like government then you have the spiritual leaders of the tribes — the chiefs, medicine men, clan mothers, the elders etc. They keep all the traditions preserved and then the council is responsible for the day to day running of the tribe. We are really honoured to have such higher up dignitaries from these tribes — it shows that they believe in us.”