Love story at Powwow Between the Lakes


Local Journalism Initiative
Tue, June 27, 2023 

A love story that began five years ago on the powwow circuit came full circle Saturday in a traditional Indigenous ceremony joining two people and two families together.

Joseph Pierre of the Penticton Indian Band officiated the wedding of band members Nicole Schellenberg and Tyrone Kruger at the special service held in front of hundreds of people on the second day of the Pow Wow Between the Lakes at the South Okanagan Events Centre.

“For Tyrone and Nicole to be able to come home to their own powwow and join together in front of their families and the powwow community is just an honour and a blessing and a grace for them as they move forward in their lives together,” said Pierre before the ceremony.

The wedding at the Four Seasons Cultural Society event was also especially fitting for the young couple who were earlier named the first man and lady of the festival.

“This is something we are so excited about,” said Nicole on her wedding day. “We met on the powwow trail and it was important that we customize this for us and what better way than a powwow.

“For us this is something we will never, ever forget. It means so much to both of us to celebrate our future together in this way.”

Her husband Tyrone agreed, “This is just awesome, I’m super excited about this. This (Penticton) was the first powwow we ever danced at and I am just so honoured to have our wedding here in front of all our people.”

As part of the ceremonies, Pierre gave each of them an eagle feather generally considered to represent a connection to the Great Spirit.

He also introduced them to each of the four directions to bless their journey in life and gave them a piece of each of the four food chiefs so they would not want for sustenance.

At the end the newlyweds were wrapped in a bison blanket by their mothers to represent their security and oneness.

The couple then performed their own version of a traditional wedding dance which ended with a hug and a kiss to start their new life together.

Penticton Indian Band Chief Greg Gabriel described the wedding of his young members as being, “Just fantastic to do it in front of our people, our nation. It is something that no one will ever

forget.”

The powwow got underway Friday at the SOEC and carried through with dancing and other special events throughout the weekend with attendees from Canada and the United States.

According to the organizing society, the theme’s intention was to bring together the eight bands of the Okanagan Nation Alliance to celebrate the Sylix culture and resilience.

“This is amazing,” said Chief Gabriel about the event itself. “To bring all our nations together for a good time, to celebrate our cultures and our traditions. Just amazing.

“Just seeing the little children carry on with these thousands-of-years-old traditions, it just warms my heart. These little guys are starting to already learn what it means to be who we are.”

Mark Brett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Penticton Herald