Fire ban can't stop the celebrations at Panmure Island powwow

The sacred fire ceremony at the Panmure Island powwow has been cancelled this year due to the ban on fires in the province.

The ban means the sweat lodge ceremony won't be held either.

Bradley Cooper, the political adviser for the P.E.I. Native Council, said the cancellations are disappointing.

"Unfortunately, because of the long summer heat that we've been having, we are a little upset that we can't necessarily have a sacred fire," he said.

"It's a big part of our ceremonies, as well as the sweat lodge ceremony that involves lighting a fire to burn our rocks."

Cooper said climate change is a concern for him as it pertains to these ceremonies.

But Cooper said that respecting nature is in the Indigenous tradition.

"We decide