CBC: U of Manitoba’s graduation powwow goes online to celebrate Indigenous grads

As CBC reports:

…The University of Manitoba cancelled the spring convocations that would have been held in May and June due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Grad powwow goes virtual

This year would have marked the 31st anniversary of the University of Manitoba’s Traditional Graduation Powwow. For Indigenous graduates, the powwow is an opportunity to celebrate among the larger Indigenous community.

Christine Cyr, director of the university’s Indigenous Student Centre, said there are usually 90-100 students who are celebrated at the annual powwow. This year, they plan to hold a virtual celebration on Facebook live on Saturday, the day the powwow would have been held.

“A lot of students were telling us that they were grieving about not being able to celebrate with their family, friends and community,” said Cyr.

“So we thought that we would do something online to celebrate their achievements.”

The event will honour about 60 students who have sent in short profiles and photos. The celebration will feature the usual powwow MC and long time student/cultural advisor Carl Stone, Indigenous musical performances, as well messages from local community members and former grads…

The virtual celebration is expected to last about an hour and will be streamed live on the Indigenous Students Centre at U of M’s Facebook page at noon CT (May 2).

Read the full CBC story here.