Dancing is healing.
That’s the vow of at least two men who took to the powwow grounds in Victoria Sept. 30 to honour those who both died at and survived Indian residential and day schools while recognizing those who remain.
Throngs of residents strolled and rolled into Royal Athletic Park to celebrate traditional Indigenous cultures and resiliency for the fourth consecutive year. The South Island Powwow, held on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, marks an important step, said Lee Benson, of Nanigishking, north of Toronto.
“It’s healing for me it’s my own medicine,” he said, looking forward to both the action and emotion as well as the smiles it inspires. “Hopefully we’ll have a great day and moving forward we have positive celebrations like this for years to come.”
South Island Powwow grand entrance - an opportunity in #yyj to recognize survivors and their families in the spirit of reconciliationan. @SongheesNation @EsquimaltNation @CityOfVictoria pic.twitter.com/6L6pv0wQEk
— Victoria News (@VictoriaNews) September 30, 2025
The event honours survivors of residential and day schools, the Sixties Scoop, and the children who never made it home. A special ceremony recognizes survivors and those lost. It started with the Lekwungen Dancers, and a ground blessing – a grass dance Benson performed, before the grand entry at noon.
“There’s a history that wasn’t so nice,” Benson said. “Today is that awareness to bring to our generations, people that are coming up. Remembrance of some of the fallen children who were left to perish in residential schools. We’re here to honour them, and to keep them in our memory and give them that recognition.”
Event volunteer Danica Paul is among those “coming up” and wading through the generational trauma left behind. The Songhees youth faced the day anticipating a mix of emotions, tempered with hope and learning.
A second-generation survivor, whose father attended Indian day school and grandparents (as well as their siblings) residential schools, the day is about reconnecting, learning her language and finding her voice.
“When I grew up. I didn’t really have a voice when it came to singing, or a voice in general,” she said. “It’s like finding another piece of myself.”
It’s work, hard work, heavy work, to reconcile a past even as you reconnect with your roots.
“It can be hard,” she said, acknowledging mixed emotions on the day, knowing the story of the orange shirt and what her family has gone through.
“And not exactly knowing how I should feel. But I’m here in the spirit of reconciliation, just hoping to learn as much as I can,” Paul said. “Reconciling with my own culture is a huge thing for me. It means a lot for me to be able to make these kinds of connections.”
Oscar Joseph of Ahousat and Katzie First Nation is all about connecting. Decked out in new regalia, he smiles, shakes hands, offers hugs for relatives and even allows photos for those who stop to say hello first.
“We’re all here for the same reason,” says Jospeh, a day school survivor and son of a residential school survivor.
He has those stories, but this day is for dancing. And when he does, Joseph takes his late dad and brother with him onto those grounds – in the form of two eagle feathers, affixed to the top of his headdress.
“When I dance, I dance for the people. I dance for the ones that can’t come home,” he said. “In my heart, it’s healing for me as well as for anybody who watches.”
The powwow hosted on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is important and so are the diverse crowds who come out.
“It’s a step in the right direction. It shows you care and support us,” he said. “I just love seeing the sea of orange.”
The day includes Indigenous song and dance with host drum Smokey Valley, along with guest speakers, cultural performances and more than 90 vendors, including Songhees Events and Catering, food trucks and 72 Indigenous merchants. The day wraps up with the intertribal category starting at 5:30 p.m. before retiring the colours at 8 p.m.
Admission is free and everyone is welcome.
