Victoria Grant

My canoe paddle, The Future is Indigenous, was created with the theme Every Child Matters in my heart. The design depicts an elder in full traditional regalia being led through the powwow circle by an excited tiny tot grass dancer. Their hands are clasped as they move past a crowd of onlookers—symbolizing connection, continuity, and the passing of knowledge between generations.
In Canada’s past, our regalia, traditions, ceremonies, and celebrations were outlawed. Yet, despite the weight of oppression, our people have continued to resist and reclaim what was taken. Step by step, powwow by powwow, we have fought for our rights, even as we continue to face the ongoing loss of land and resources to mining operations, pipelines, and logging.
The future I envision—and the one this piece honours—is built through our persistence. We continue to demand what all communities deserve: clean drinking water, proper infrastructure, and respect for the land. Our sovereignty depends on the unity of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples, standing together against forces that seek to diminish us. The pictured family is not only a moment of joy and kinship, but also a vital cog in the ongoing process of decolonization.
The powwow represents freedom for Indigenous peoples in countless ways: freedom of expression, freedom to wear our regalia, freedom to dance and speak as we wish. It is also economic freedom. Powwows provide livelihoods for dancers, knowledge keepers, artists, and makers along the powwow trail. By choosing this path, we consciously reject a system that demands assimilation into nine-to-five jobs. Instead, we embrace traditional skills, passed down through generations, as a foundation for both income and sovereignty.
Powwows also strengthen entire communities. Hosting brings revenue that supports local infrastructure and cultural growth on reserves, while deepening pride and identity. Beyond the economic impact, powwows are spaces of healing, reconnection, and celebration. They remind us that despite centuries of attempted erasure, our cultures are not only alive but thriving.
The Future is Indigenous invites viewers to reflect on the powwow as more than a gathering. It is a declaration of freedom from oppression, a reclaiming of sovereignty, and a vision of what lies ahead. As the elder and child move together through the circle, they embody resilience, continuity, and the unstoppable spirit of our nations.