| Toronto is home to many events and festivals. One | | | | Marketplace though. Most were bead work, dream |
| such event is the Canadian Aboriginal Festival, the | | | | catchers, low end jewelry, leatherwork and t-shirts |
| largest of its kind in Canada which I attended | | | | with Native themes for sale. There weren't very |
| recently. It is usually held late November or early | | | | much high end gallery quality Native artwork present. |
| December. It was my first time at this event which | | | | The only Northwest Native Indian representation was |
| has been held at the Rogers Centre (Skydome) in | | | | a single booth offering aboriginal design blankets. No |
| Toronto for the last several years. | | | | Northwest Native Indian art of any other type was |
| I got there for the Grand Entry of the Native | | | | present. There was only one Inuit art booth with only |
| American Indian dance contestants and it was | | | | a minimal number of small stone carvings available. |
| certainly a great spectacle to witness, much like the | | | | The traditional Native Indian food was okay. I had a |
| entry of athletes at the Olympics. It was great to | | | | salad venison stew combo which was delicious. I also |
| see so much representation of different age groups | | | | tried the buffalo burger but found the deep fried |
| and Native groups from across North America at this | | | | buns to be much too oily for my taste. At $7 per |
| giant pow wow like event. The different Native | | | | burger, the price was a bit steep too. This was the |
| American Indian singing drum groups spread out along | | | | same price for the stew. There was also moose |
| the perimeter of the main floor took turns supplying | | | | burger on the menu as well but I didn't have a big |
| the accompanying music for the dancers. | | | | enough appetite to try both types of burgers |
| I was very impressed with the dancers, their colorful | | | | available. |
| costumes and of course, the powerful Native | | | | They had fashion shows and musical performances |
| American Indian pow wow drum music which | | | | there too but they were more contemporary rather |
| accompanied each dance performance. Different | | | | than aboriginal and most of the festival's action was |
| dances were grouped by type of dance including | | | | still at the main dance areas. There were many other |
| contemporary (but still Native) and traditional. Male | | | | booths representing Native American Indian groups |
| and female dancers went on separately and some | | | | and related aboriginal businesses but I think these |
| divisions were divided by age group as well. | | | | were of little interest to most attendees. It was |
| For most of the dance competitions, one of the | | | | definitely the native dancing that was the major |
| Native American Indian singing drum groups would be | | | | draw for the Canadian Aboriginal Festival. |
| asked to bring their setup to the middle of the floor | | | | Toronto's Rogers Centre Skydome was a good |
| and the dancers would actually dance around the | | | | indoor location for the event but given the relatively |
| seated drummers. When a dance division was large | | | | sparse attendance especially of non-Native public, it |
| with a lot of dancers, the scene was like a giant swirl | | | | might have been too large a venue as I would |
| of wild colors. As a result, most of the dancing was | | | | estimate that only 10 percent of stadium seats at |
| an incredible spectacle to witness. | | | | most were ever occupied at any one time. Don't |
| I was less impressed with the quality and range of | | | | forget that the Skydome is a full size sports baseball |
| Native American Indian artwork at the festival's | | | | football stadium. |