A Day in the Life:.... 31st Squamish Nation Youth Pow Wow

The Squamish Nation Reserve is literally right across the street of the Motel I have been living in for SEVEN YEARS..... did I EVER manage to attend their Pow Wow, which is famed to be one of the 'good ones'?
NOPE.... (but then I've never been to a SINGLE gay pride parade in Vancouver either, LOL)

But today will be different.... LIVE and LEARN !


16:15
Eda is here... we drink some wine and wait for Carlos.... but he's on Cuban Time again..... so we decide to go eat already..... Tesekku"r Eda!

the weather gods are smiling on us

 The information put the Grand Entry at 7 pm.... but it will happen at 7:30 pm...Indian Time?

..... but that gives me time to take some pictures without rush...

one of 5 or 6 drum circles ...

 getting ready ....

 And it happens again.....the drums are starting, the chanting begins....

... First Nations people start to dance.... and I start crying......

WHY?  I don't know....Yes, I miss George, but George wasn't even into this... 

.....I think it is because I see the HUGE CONTRAST between this display of togetherness, art, and beauty and the life in the city that surrounds this reserve....

Upon reflection, I decide that it's the same old thing.... that unpleasant feeling of Not-Belonging... 

....I know for CERTAIN that I do NOT belong with inbreds cheering a hockey game of The Canucks or other inbreds busy Schunkeln in a German beer tent...  

... and the Pow Wow gives a glimpse of a culture where I think I might be able to belong... after all, Kokum made be belong.... alas, that is in the past now.... 

....but then I've already found another tribe in SE Asia where I seem to belong ;-)

After the Grand Entry, the MC let's various drum circles show off their drumming..... and people dance as they wish.... the pressure of  the Grand Entry is gone.... and then I see HIM

After seeing this, anything else would be anti-climactic ;-)  And the remarkable thing is that Carlos as well had his eyes fixed first on the Blue Guy, but changed his mind as soon as the Red One started DANCING !

I'm back in my room at 20:45 ... and I'm SOOO TIRED