Caldwell First Nation will hold its first ever pow wow on its new reserve in Leamington next month — and people will be able to take bus tours en route that will showcase the community's history. The Caldwell First Nation Pow Wow Bus Tour will take 105 riders on a free 90-minute tour along the Windsor-Essex shoreline, during which Caldwell First Nation guides will take them to village sites, trading posts and trails that helped sustain the people for thousands of years. "Our people have touched every square foot of this region and left lasting and sometimes invisible imprints," said Chief Nikki van Oirschot in a news release announcing the tours.
"People in our region can take this opportunity to learn about the incredibly rich, sacred and historic First Nation sites." Members of the First Nation began moving to the reserve last summer after securing a $105-million land claim settlement in 2011 and acquiring 80 hectares of land, which were officially designated a reserve in 2020. Holding the first ever pow wow on the new lands "means everything to us," said Coun.
Randy DeGraw. Caldwell First Nation council member Randy DeGraw. (Dalson Chen/CBC) "This is so exciting for all of us.
...
We have fought very hard to get our land back. We have it, and we have people living on the reserve now. So the next step of course is to have this competition pow wow and to celebrate.
" It's especially important for the community to hold the event for the youth, DeGraw added, because it will i.
