TORONTO—The North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) are slated to begin this Saturday, with opening ceremonies to be held at Toronto’s AVIVA Centre, and continues on through to Sunday, July 23. A host of competitors from Manitoulin Island will be travelling south to compete against the best that other indigenous communities have to offer.
The NAIG is the largest continental sporting and cultural gathering of indigenous people, noted NAIG CEO Marcia Trudeau-Bomberry. The games will be welcoming more than 5,000 athletes, 2,000 volunteers and a countless number of spectators and dignitaries from across Turtle Island. “The games are taking place on the same facilities that hosted the Pan Am Games,” she said.
The Toronto 2017 NAIG Host Society, which oversees this year’s games, “honours the traditional lands and homelands on which the 2017 NAIG will take place,” notes a statement from the NAOG Host Society. “We honour and thank the Huron-Wendat Nation, Metis Nation of Ontario, Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation and Six Nations of the Grand River as our community partners and traditional inhabitants of the lands of the City of Toronto, Region of Hamilton, Durham Region and surrounding areas.”
The NAIG are a multi-sport, multi-disciplinary event that involves indigenous youth from Canada and the United States. The Games offer 14 sport competitions in addition to a vibrant cultural program, showcasing local and North American indigenous cultural groups and entertainers.
The NAIG was first held in 1990 in Edmonton and has been staged on seven other occasions in various locations throughout Canada and the United States. Athletes competing in the NAIG must be born of North American indigenous ancestry and all contingents participating in the NAIG must represent the indigenous peoples of a province/territory in Canada, or a state/region in the United States of America. Only athletes registered with a contingent are eligible to compete in the NAIG.
“When we started out our motto was ‘Past, Present, Future all one’,” said Ms. Trudeau-Bomberry. “2017 is a year where indigenous issues, social and political, are front and centre.”
She pointed out that the NAIG connects with five of the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. “Particularly number 88.” Call to action number 88 reads: “We call upon all levels of government to take action to ensure long-term aboriginal athlete development and growth and continued support for the North American Indigenous Games, including funding to host the games and for provincial and territorial team preparation and travel.”
The NAIG has been particularly blessed with volunteers, and although the portal to volunteer to assist with the games has now closed, there are still some specific roles in which volunteers can still step forward such as medical support. “We couldn’t do this without our many volunteers,” said Ms. Trudeau-Bomberry.
Island competitors listed on the NAIG website on Monday were: Athletics U14 girls Wiikwemkoong’s Victoria Trudeau, Sierra Pangowish, Franesca Pheasant and Autumn Pelletier along with Sagamok/Wiikwemkoong competitor Jade Paquette; U14 male Wiikwemkoong’s Julian Wemigwans and Latrell Peltier; U16 female Zena Pregent of Whitefish River and Olivia Manitowabi of Wiikwemkoong; U19 male Kiniw Cleland of Wiikwemkoong; in U14 boys canoe is Samual Assinewai of Aundeck Omni Kaning; U14 girls is Sierra Trudeau of Wiikwemkoong; in U16 girls is Gabriella Corbiere of Aundeck Omni Kaning; U19 boys are Wiikwemkoong’s Tyson Wemigwans and Justin Peltier; U19 girls is Delaney Webkamigad; in volleyball U16 boys are Wiikwemkoong’s Ferris Eshkawkogan and Elijah Bell-Manitowabi; and finally in U19 girls are Sheguiandah’s Carleigh Porter and Wiikwemkoong’s Lyric Peltier.
Other Island athletes may be competing in the NAIG games, but their information was not available as of press time Monday.
The opening ceremonies of the 2017 NAIG will be live streamed online at 7 pm, Sunday, July 16 at cbc.ca.
