Wiikwemkoong turns to TikTok in lieu of annual powwow and cultural festival

Wiikwemkoong cancelled its annual cultural festival again this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, so a community member has launched a virtual TikTok dance competition for the Manitoulin Island, Ont. First Nation instead.

Buzwah Variety owner Rick Leedham is no stranger to contests and competitions. He says he found inspiration for this project when a community member took part in a viral trend.

"I seen a video posted online by Wesley and Tracy Cleland," he says. "They did a TikTok in their full regalia and I just thought it'd be great to do a contest like that."

The Cleland's video, set to Wilson Pickett's 'Land of 1000 Dances,' has racked up nearly 10,000 views on the platform. It's an impressive total but it's no comparison to some of the greatest hits from one of TikTok's most popular trends: #NativeTikTok.

Indigenous culture popular on app

TikTok is an app that allows people to upload videos up to one minute long. Many involve dance trends, song remixes or lip-syncing to music.

Many Indigenous content creators have embraced the platform as a way to celebrate traditional cultures, share humour and educate a wider audience about Indigenous history.

As of July 23, posts tagged with #NativeTikTok have a combined 2.7 billion views, and even Duke Peltier, the ogimaa (chief) of Wiikwemkoong, has an account.

Leedham made a Facebook post about his interest in sponsoring a virtual dance competition on TikTok, with his store covering cash prizes for the winners. Community members soon took note and began to pledge their own support and sponsorships, including Wikwemikong Tourism.

"I just felt it was important to have something in place with the absence of the powwow this year. A few other ideas have crossed my mind, but it was this one, that TikTok video, that got the ball rolling for me," Leedham says.

The tourism agency has offered to run a Facebook group and promote the competition across its social media accounts.

Competition structured similar to a powwow

The all-ages virtual dance competition, open to Wiikwemkoong band members only, runs between July 26 and 30.

People are asked to wear regalia and record their video with family-friendly background sound or music. They upload their clips to TikTok and share links on the event's Facebook page.

And, like a true competition powwow, there's zhooniathe Anishinaabemowin word for moneyat stake. Total cash prizes across the adult and youth categories are more than $2,500.

Peltier says it was an easy choice for the tourism agency to support the virtual event.

"Our community, with the whole COVID situation, has been looking for ways to really get out there and practice the culture again," he says.

Wikwemikong Tourism is also treating this as a pilot project of sorts. It had already been thinking of hosting a virtual TikTok dance competition before Leedham began moving ahead with his plans, and it still envisions a role for itself on a broader scale.

"If we see it as a success, we may look to take it either provincial or national with a large, virtual dance competition," Peltier says.

The video behind it all

Tracy Cleland says she never expected her TikTok content to reach many people. Her account now has more than 715 followers and tens of thousands of views.

Cleland often dances at powwows. She and her husband decided to try making a TikTok in their regalia and it quickly reached a substantial audience.

Beyond the quirky, short humorous videos that populate much of the app, Cleland says she's realized the potential for TikTok to create deeper connections.

"Then, I started doing other ones that promoted healthy living, walking, just promoting our culture and, you know, a positive way and healthy living," she says.

Cleland says she also sees promise in the younger generation's embrace of the platform.

"They're using that as a platform to talk. I think it's awesome," she says. "I do hope, maybe, our youth can get really creative on TikTok and have fun and use that as an outlet to share feelings or share something positive in their community or in their life."

Healing abilities of powwows especially important now

The combination of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the distressing news from residential schools across Canada this summer have contributed to worsening mental well-being, among many Indigenous people, especially.

"I just feel like we really need it here, where people are starting to suffer with mental illness and isolation," Cleland says. "I think maybe that's why I even went on TikTok and things like that, because I was getting bored and I needed something to keep me entertained."

Leedham agrees. While a virtual competition can never replace the community feeling at an in-person powwow, Leedham says this might brighten some people's summers.

"I do know people want to get out there dancing and celebrate their tradition. So I think this would help them," he says.

The Wiikwemkoong Cultural Festival is one of the premier annual events on Manitoulin Island. It takes place on the August long weekend, but has been cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions.