First Nations have their way of celebrating and a pow wow is one of the social gatherings that communities enjoy the most. This weekend was a special one for Swift Current, as Living Sky Casino dedicated it to the pow wow traditional celebration spanning over two days. This year’s edition of the congregation was a special one because it is part of the 10-year celebrations of the tribal casino venue.
Over the span of the past five months Living Sky Casino has been hosting a wide variety of events seeking to praise its customers and all the support they have given the location over a decade of operation. February 16 was the first of two days of the Living Sky Casino 10th Anniversary Pow Wow that set the bar high for next year’s celebrations. Saturday was the special day that kickstarted the event that is considered a hallmark for Nations across North America.
Pow Wow Brings Tons of Entertainment
Kinetic Park in Swift Current was where the special event took place, giving everyone interested in participating the chance to easily locate it and take part. Both First Nations members and anyone curious to see what the hype is all about had the chance to make it to the pow wow. The main goal of this congregation is to celebrate First Nations and its traditions. Participants were proudly representing their ancestors with traditional dances and stories being told.
Saskatchewan is a special location around this time of the year, transformed by the First Nations celebration. The pow wow in Swift Current is the first one for the year on a provincial level and now that it is done more are set to take place across Saskatchewan. The Stockade Building is where the pow wow took place attracting local veterans and dignitaries to the likes of Mayor Denis Perrault and Swift Current MLA Everett Hindley.
With dancing across the entire two days and delicious treats on site, everyone seemed to be having fun. Renown attendants of the pow wow could be seen across the park, Steve Wood being one of them. He is the leader and founder of Northern Cree, also known as Northern Cree Singers. This is one of the praised powwow and Round Dance drum and singing groups, based in Maskwacis, Alberta.
Ten Years of Living Sky Casino
It should be noted that the group has been nominated for Grammy eight times and it has won one Juno award. Mr. Wood made it clear that Canadians are more than welcome to visit any pow wow taking place across the country, as the communities would welcome them warmly. Present at the congregation were also city officials such as City Councilor Ron Toles. He said that Living Sky Casino has been able to benefit the community with its operation over the past decade.
With the help of regular allocations poured into the community, the tribal gambling venue is able to give crucial support to various projects around Swift Current. Such allocations are mandatory for any casino operation, as compensation to the community. The money could be used for beautification work across the region and other larger projects at hand. The celebrations for the 10th anniversary of the casino venue were greenlighted on September 28, 2018, and ever since then, the location has been more than generous.
The Nekaneet First Nation is the landowner of Living Sky Casino and even though there was a turmoil before it launched operation a decade ago, now Swift Current is enjoying the location that proved reliable and protective of its players. Some 17 years ago, the area was not as accepting of the idea of a gambling venue. There are 185 individuals currently employed by the tribal casino facility, whereas lucky players have bagged some CA$160 million in jackpots over the last decade.
