When Grade 11 St. Paul Regional High School student Hailey Steinhauer Salopree heard her name announced as this year’s St. Paul Education Regional Division senior powwow princess, finding the words to describe exactly how she felt was difficult.
The Sept. 20 event took place at the Saddle Lake powwow arbor, and brought students together from all schools within the SPERD district. While the powwow is only one day, and differs from other powwows that Hailey attends through the year, it was nonetheless a huge honour to wear the crown.
“The event itself means a lot to my culture, and myself,” explains Hailey. She says she’s attended the SPERD powwow twice before, and has wanted to be a powwow princess she started dancing at just seven years old.
Her late cousin, Nicole, who had been crowned as the Saddle Lake Cree Nation senior princess in 2010, inspired Hailey to start dancing. She recalls how beautiful her cousin looked, and has since been spending much of her summer travelling to different powwows.
Taking this year’s crown at the SPERD powwow “makes me speechless,” says Hailey, as she tries to put into words the experience on Wednesday afternoon.
But, when asked to describe how it feels when she’s out dancing, those words come more easily.
“I feel proud and confident.”
She notes that the SPERD powwow is different than other powwows she attends because it offers exposure to other youth from other cultures that may have never had the experience of attending a powwow.
After receiving her crown on Wednesday, Hailey says many of her friends congratulated her, knowing how much the title meant to her.
“I powwow all year long, and it’s a really big things to be crowned . . . It’s just an amazing experience.”
Hailey adds that she is also very proud to now represent SPERD at all the powwow she attends over the next year. She notes a special thank you to her mom and her family, for all the support they’ve given her through the years, as a dancer.
Also crowned as powwow princess on Wednesday was Miya Cardinal from Ashmont Elementary in the Tiny Tot category, and Carla Paddy from St. Paul Elementary in the junior category.
“It was an amazing day of sharing, or learning,” says SPERD superintendent Glen Brodziak, when reflecting on the powwow. While the weather was a little cool, it didn’t dampen the experience, and representation from every school within the division was on hand.
“The dancers, the regalia that we got to see and witness was spectacular,” says Brodziak. He notes that a special thank you goes out to the community of Saddle Lake and its chief and council for being great hosts.
The SPERD powwow rotates throughout the area, taking place every two years, and has been taking place for a number of years now.
“It’s just a way of saying that this is important to us,” says Brodziak. “It’s done because it’s right,” he says, adding, it’s more than simply following the curriculum.
And the feedback from the staff members and community all points in the same direction – “It was a great experience,” says Brodziak.
