The steady heartbeat of drums carried across Chestermere Lake on Wednesday as dancers, families and visitors gathered at John Peake Park for the fourth annual Lead by Example Powwow.
Held July 8, the free public event brought Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities together for an afternoon of traditional dancing, drumming, cultural sharing and remembrance. The gathering ran from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., beginning with the Grand Entry.
The regional contest powwow was created in honour of Kristian Kakato’si Ayoungman, a young Siksika Nation leader, hockey player and champion dancer who died in 2019 at the age of 24.
Ayoungman’s death left a deep wound in his family and across neighbouring communities. The Lead by Example Powwow grew from that loss, carrying a deliberate message that remembrance can become a starting point for education, connection and change.
That message found a fitting home beside Chestermere Lake.
Dancers wearing brightly coloured regalia entered the grounds as drums and songs filled the park. The program included competitive and traditional dance categories, along with cultural demonstrations, storytelling, craft vendors and food.
For residents unfamiliar with powwow traditions, the event offered an opportunity to learn by being present. Visitors were invited to watch, listen and take part when appropriate, while respecting the direction of the master of ceremonies and arena officials.
This was not simply entertainment brought into the community for an afternoon. A powwow is a living cultural gathering, carrying traditions that connect families, generations and Nations. The songs, dances and regalia each hold meaning, even when that meaning may not be immediately visible to someone attending for the first time.
The Lead by Example Powwow has continued to grow since the inaugural gathering was held in Strathmore in 2023. It has developed into a regional event welcoming dancers, singers and visitors from Alberta and beyond.
Its arrival in Chestermere also created a visible opportunity for reconciliation at the community level.
Reconciliation is often discussed through government reports, formal acknowledgements and national observances. Those have their place. But its most meaningful work can happen when neighbours meet, share space and begin to understand one another beyond headlines or history books.
The powwow did not ask visitors to arrive with every answer. It asked them to arrive with respect and a willingness to learn.
The Kakato’si Kristian Ayoungman Foundation has described its work as an effort to bring communities together, increase understanding of First Nations culture and confront racism through education rather than division. In previous public comments, Kristian’s mother, Melodie Ayoungman-Hunt, has spoken about turning her family’s grief toward positive change.
That purpose remained at the centre of Wednesday’s gathering.
Kristian was remembered not only for the circumstances of his death, but for the life he lived. He was an athlete, a dancer and a young man whose family and community saw leadership in him. The powwow bearing his legacy now gives others a place to dance, learn and build relationships.
For Chestermere, hosting the event was more than adding another date to a busy summer calendar. It placed the community inside a continuing regional conversation about culture, racism and reconciliation.
No single gathering can resolve those issues. But communities rarely move forward through silence or distance.
Sometimes they begin with an invitation, an open patch of grass and the sound of a drum carrying across the water.
