Rules for the Kamloops, BC-area event state that contestants must be “at least one-quarter native blood”, perform in full regalia and “be of the correct gender for the class”. They also have requirements that dancers must be in full regalia to participate. The outcry started after the organization was posted program of events on his Facebook page. While the same rules have been in place for more than two decades, members of the public and, in particular, members of the Two-Spirit Indigenous community began to point out how it limited participation in Western Canada’s largest powwow. Kairyn Potts, a two-spirit advocate and TikToker with more than 230,000 followers, was one of the first to point out the gender regulations, as well as the parentage requirements known as quantum of blood. “A group of people on the salary committee had to collectively decide to publicly announce that they do not want to make room for or tolerate any person who wants to dance a separate class from their correct gender,” he said in his Instagram post. “This is a deliberate and calculated discrimination against an already vulnerable group of people. Not to mention, it’s a huge step backwards for our communities,” Potts said. He says he felt he had to comment because of him high death rates among Indigenous and queer youth; and felt it was important that these spaces of cultural expression be safe for all people. He said his posts are not meant to criticize the people behind the event, but rather to draw attention to the disparity in the rules and present an opportunity for change.
“Rejected and Discredited”
Further concerns about the rules were echoed in dozens of comments and other posts online, with others adding to the debate. Kamloops Pride released a post to ensure that people within the two-spirited and queer community feel supported. “They feel like they’re being rejected and devalued and not relevant to their culture and their communities,” said society president Ashton O’Brien. They also called on Kamloopa organizers to review and change policies to be more inclusive. Kamloopa Powwow Society president Delyla Daniels says values have changed and there is more openness to bisexual people, along with a shift in who can be considered Indigenous. (Photo courtesy of YouTube) Another area where people are calling for change is the requirement for dancers to be in full regalia to participate in the grand entry and competition.
Apology posted
After online criticism of the rules, Kamloopa Powwow Society president Delyla Daniels released a video apology. “I don’t know how we’re going to recover from this. We’ve affected so many people,” he said. In the apology, Daniels notes that today’s values have changed, and there is a greater openness to bisexual people along with a change in who can be considered indigenous. He says the rules were added more than two decades ago to address concerns from seniors and the community about who should be allowed to compete. The event has an independent board separate from the Kamloops area Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc First Nation. Daniels says society is rethinking the rules. “The KPS board was able to meet to discuss how we’re going to move forward and look at these rules and make our mistake, right.”
Opportunities for change
Potts watched the apology online and says he’s grateful the society apologized. “It’s a step toward … something bigger than the organizers. It’s bigger than that.” He suggests that an easy change would be to remove any gender and gender requirements in the competition. “Instead of having ‘fancy shawl for women,’ just have a fancy shawl category and anyone who dances in a fancy shawl, regardless of how they identify, will get in.” Another supporter and grass dancer from Vancouver, Larissa Healey, suggests that Kamloopa could host a two-spirit special at the upcoming event. “You can always fix it… if they host a two-spirit special, that will put them on a reconciliation platform.” Both Potts and Healey said they will be watching to see what the committee behind the Kamloopa Powwow Society does next and are optimistic about potential changes. Kamloopa will run from July 29th to July 31st. Daybreak Kamloops10:09 Kamloopa Powwow apologizes after online controversy The Kamloopa Pow Wow is being called out on social media for its regulations that are considered outdated and discriminatory.
