The Lead by Example Powwow in Strathmore honours late teen with dance, drum, and song

This past weekend marked the launch of the Lead by Example Powwow in Strathmore Alberta.

The date is significant; The idea for the powwow grew out of the memorials for Kristian Kakato’si Ayoungman, who was an elite young hockey player and champion dancer. He was murdered on a highway near Strathmore on March 18th, 2019.

The Lead by Example powwow was four years in the making, created by Melodie Ayoungman-Hunt and her husband Steve Hunt, to honour their late son.

The vibrant two-day, ticketed event was sold out and the facility’s 1,400-person capacity was full on both days with more than 700 dance competitors, drum groups, and singers participating.

Check out the photo gallery here.

“It was a really good turnout,” Melodie Ayoungman-Hunt says, adding, “It could have been bigger if there weren’t building restrictions on capacity and the event being sold out.”

Event was embraced by town

Ayoungman-Hunt was pleased with how the event turned out, particularly the enthusiasm for the powwow, which lured many volunteers from Strathmore and Chestermere.

In advance of Kristian’s fourth memorial, Steve Hunt suggested a powwow in Strathmore, bringing the idea to mayor Pat Fule and town council member Richard Wagner. The duo brought it to a council meeting and was unanimously accepted by the Town of Strathmore.

Melodie made a presentation at that meeting, explaining her goal of giving the town its biggest experience with powwows and what their culture is like, while also paying respect to Kristian.

“I almost dropped to the floor when they said it was a unanimous vote ‘Yes,’” she says.

Bringing cultures together

Fule says he has received numerous messages and calls today from people who were impressed and wanted to know if the powwow will become an annual event.

“It was a great turnout and a great event for bringing our cultures together.”

Ayoungman-Hunt says the Town of Strathmore has been supportive and committed to building a stronger relationship with Siksika Nation.

“When this (Kristian’s death) first happened, the mayor and the chief both approached me and asked if there is anything they could do,” she says.

“The mayor is awesome. He’s immersing himself, and he’s doing his utmost to be respectful and try to understand.”

A stronger bond

In the four years since her son’s death, Ayoungman-Hunt has worked with both the Siksika Nation and the Town of Strathmore to build and strengthen partnerships between the town and the Nation. 

In her documentary, “Melodie’s Ask; Lead by Example Powwow,” Ayoungman-Hunt stresses that the Town of Strathmore and Siksika First Nation must work together.

“You have to put something in place where you learn about each other,” she says.

Immediately following Kristian’s murder, the town and the Nation initiated talks, and in November 2019, a strategic plan, and a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Siksika First Nation and the town was established.

Siksika First Nation has established many new programs and headed several developments with Strathmore, including three specific initiatives.

In Strathmore, an Indigenous healing garden was also dedicated and planted in 2021. The first successful harvest of sweetgrass, tobacco, and sage was in 2022. That harvest was shared with local organizations to aid in further education efforts.

As for the Leading by Example powwow becoming an annual event, both Ayoungman-Hunt and Mayor Fule is open to the idea. Fule says there will be future discussions, including the possibility of moving to an outdoor powwow.

With files from https://leadbyexamplepowwow.ca/.