“If there are any dancers out there, please report to the east doors of the school,” said the voice on the loud speaker.
We pow wow dancers shuffled through the grounds of Rouge Hill Public School—from the ice cream truck to the policeman on horseback; from the drummer’s tent to the taco stand—but never to the east doors of the school, as instructed.
It was a hot day for the Scarborough East Pow Wow. The sun blazed through rainbows of ribbon. The sun blazed through tightly bound braids upon scalps wet with sweat. Through metal cones on jingle dresses. Through feathered bustles and fancy shawls.
Everywhere I went, I could hear visitors yelp when they sat on the burning hot plastic seats to wait for the Grand Entry.
“Hot, eh?”
“Isn’t it ever.”
“When are those dancers going to start?”
“I dunno.”
Bing and I sat under a skinny tree much too young to give shade. It was difficult to strike a balance between crouching close enough to share relief from the hot sun and not touching so that we could avoid each other’s body heat. So we tried to cool ourselves with ice cream instead, bugging our mamas at regular intervals for pocket change.
I struggled to keep my ice cream upright while my jingle dress cones hung downwards catching on the grass. Bing, of course, expertly bit into his ice cream, consuming it without drips or dribbles.
“Please, folks, we want to get started on the Grand Entry. Please, if you are a dancer, make your way to the east doors of the school.”
“Aren’t you a dancer?” Bing said, pretending to be responsible.
“Yup,” I said, licking melted chocolate ice cream off my wrists.
I looked around the yard and laughed. Kids everywhere in their regalia, at odds with their parents. Sour cream smeared across moccasins. Headdresses crooked on top of tiny toddler heads. “If Mommy gives you one more cookie, will you stop pulling on your braids?!” I heard a mom say to her daughter whose hair had gone undone and fuzzy. “Will you sit down? The Grand Entry is about to start!”
I could see Elder Fay take her place at the beginning of the procession. Her wrinkly face squinted at the hot sun while she positioned her shawl over her left arm and her feather fan in her right hand. I gobbled up my ice cream and took my place behind her and the other elders and behind the veterans holding flags. Mama rushed over with a baby wipe to clean my chocolate-covered face.
I thought it was the sight of Levy, that very serious boy, in his grass dancing regalia and child-sized feather buttress that had Mama holding back tears. But when she held my cheeks after wiping them, I realized she was crying at the sight of me.
“You’re beautiful, Sylvie.” I blushed. I had never heard that before.
Mama hurried back to her picnic blanket, where Johnny and Bing’s mom were sitting, to watch the Grand Entry finally begin. Johnny, who was in his stroller sucking the sleeves of his ribbon shirt, suddenly sat up at the sound of the drumming.
“Look! It’s your sister, Johnny!” Mama pointing at me, my hands at my waist, bouncing at the knees, and following the procession.
The procession made its way around the circle to the other end, where Mama was sitting. She was still crying. I waved my arms at her to join me. Mama shook her head no. I waved again. Bing’s mom elbowed Mama in the ribs, until Mama finally stood.
Mama wiped away her tears. “I don’t know. I don’t think I earned this dance.” I said nothing. I just held her hand in mine, rubbing the back of it with my thumb. We both automatically put our free hands to our waists and began dancing.
The procession continued in a circle to the tune of men wailing, each of them drumming with one hand and the other hand covering an ear. Wee children in their fancy shawls turned circles around each other. Levy’s dance looked like he was having a conversation with the ground. Edna stayed with Johnny, who cheered at the sight of us, ribbons still in his mouth.
From afar, I could see Bing watching from under our skinny tree. He waved. Just then, there was a fierce wind. It cooled all of us down. I knew it was time. As the procession moved away, I waved goodbye, and I looked forward.