Culture And The Evening Light

I mentioned in yesterday's post that there were educational aspects to Glowfair. Several tables were set up throughout the Saturday of the street fair with a First Nations theme. This below is a wigwam, a traditional shelter used by those First Nations of the Algonquin culture. Birch bark is assembled around a frame, with ventilation at the top to allow smoke to escape. These are built to be disassembled for movement, and are still used for ceremonial purposes. I chatted with a woman who said they're quite warm in the winter, when snow builds up around it and provides another layer of insulation. I went inside, offering a different point of view- fur was spread out, and the interior was lined with pine branches.

Nearby two men were about to stat a vocal performance.

I had a chance to speak with one of the makers of these items a bit later on in the evening- I had seen him last winter during Winterlude, when he and others were at Jacques Cartier Park, demonstrating traditional woodworking methods of the Anishinaabe. The drum, with its detailed bird, caught my eye.

Here we have an evening view of the wigwam. I was familiar with the term, but didn't have the visual reference for it before. It is a word that is sometimes misused, with First Nations dwellings that aren't wigwams being described as such.

Here we have another view of that roller skating area. This view looks north, in the opposite

direction from my shots in yesterday's post.

Music was a big part of Glowfair. There were concert performances on a stage set up in what's usually an office building parking lot near here, but on Bank Street itself, another stage had been set up, with a DJ playing house music on the stage. Very loudly. It's not my kind of music, but it does get the crowd geared up, and that makes for good photo ops.

Another one of the activities going on here- skipping ropes. The ropes were illuminated, held by two members of a small group of women for passersby to have a go at it. Either they would use one rope or two- it was two in this case, and the woman who tried it out was good at it. If I tried that, I'd get tripped up on the first swing.

Among the lit tree sculptures through the two evenings, there were several young women wearing transparent, illuminated capes, posing for photos with those who wanted it. These sculptures were quite captivating for those seeking a photo op.

I'll pick up with this tomorrow. It's appropriate timing, given that Buskerfest is underway this weekend.