When the opening ceremony to the North American Indigenous Games kicks off at Halifax’s Scotiabank Centre on July 16, 2023, it will not only mark the start of one of the largest sporting events to be hosted in Mi’kma’ki—the traditional territory of the Mi’kmaq people that forms present-day Nova Scotia—but also the culmination of a dream deferred. More than 5,000 athletes from over 756 Indigenous nations will be taking part in the 2023 Games, competing in sports ranging from lacrosse, to basketball, to rifle shooting. The week-long tournament and festival had initially been scheduled for 2020, until the global COVID-19 pandemic prompted its postponement. Ask NAIG 2023 board chair Fiona Kirkpatrick Parsons, though, and she’ll tell you it’s been a project decades in the making.
“It is the single largest, most important cultural gathering in Atlantic Canada’s history since contact,” she says, speaking by phone with The Coast in the weeks leading up to the festivities. “It’s certainly a great honour. I have to give a huge shout-out to [NAIG 2023 president] Tex Marshall… he envisioned bringing these Games over 25 years ago.”
For six days in July, some of North America’s best young athletes (aged 13 to 19) will compete in 16 sports at 22 venues across Halifax, Dartmouth, Millbrook First Nation and Sipekne’katik (Shubenacadie). All of the competitions are free to attend. Most will also be livestreamed on the NAIG 2023 website.
The opening ceremony itself is already the “hottest ticket in town,” Kirkpatrick Parsons says. Tickets sold out within less than a day. Organizers are trying to squeeze in more seats to keep up with the demand.
“We had a pretty good hunch they were going to sell quickly,” she says, “but it was like, 12 hours [before the tickets were gone].”
‘Once in a lifetime’ opportunity
Thomas Denny knows just what the 10th North American Indigenous Games represents to the athletes involved. The 31-year-old head coach of Team Mi’kmaw Nova Scotia’s under-16 boys’ basketball team was a former high school hoops standout with the Dartmouth High Spartans. He represented the province at the national level in his youth, but had to choose between Nova Scotia’s basketball team and competing at NAIG due to overlapping schedules. He still regrets that he missed his chance.
“This is one of those things, it’s either once in a lifetime or a couple times if you’re fortunate enough,” he says, speaking by phone with The Coast.
Want to see the action live? You’re in for a treat: Denny calls the talent level “phenomenal” across the nations fielding teams, which are coming from as far as Florida and beyond. He points to the hometown success of players like Dartmouth’s Lindell Wigginton (now with the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks) and Bedford’s Nate Darling (with the NBA G League’s Ontario Clippers) as evidence of a budding basketball scene in Nova Scotia and Mi’kma’ki.
“It goes to show the kids that it’s possible,” he says. “It’s not just the guys from the United States that are getting to the NBA now. There’s an abundance of Canadians, and now Nova Scotians—which is such a motivator.”
Medal designs a collaboration between Grade 9 student, Mi’kmaq artist
Athletes lucky enough to claim gold, silver or bronze at NAIG 2023 will take home medals designed by Hardwood Lands’ Ella Scothorn. The Grade 9 student submitted her design bid in an open competition three years earlier, while she was in Grade 6.
“It makes me feel really proud and excited to see my designs come to life,” Scothorn said in January, when the medal designs were unveiled.
Mi’kmaw artist Taylor Fern Paul finalized the designs, which showcase a traditional eight-pointed star inspired by petroglyphs found in Bedford. The ribbons are emblazoned with the word Kjipuktuk, meaning “great harbour.”
“The medals on display today make us so proud of our community, our youth and our athletes,” Millbrook Chief Bob Gloade said in a statement. “Our community is proud to play a part in the hosting of NAIG and we know it will be a historic event that will shape the future of Indigenous youth and athletes in Mi’kma’ki forever.”
When and where are the Games?
NAIG 2023 runs from July 15-23, 2023. The competitions are taking place at 22 venues across Halifax, Dartmouth, Millbrook First Nation and Sipekne’katik.
How can I watch them?
Admission is free and first come, first serve. If you’re unable to make it to the venue, the competitions will also be live streamed at naig2023.com—with the exceptions of golf, rifle shooting and cross-country.
Are there other events happening during the festival?
Throughout the Games, a Cultural Village will be set up in the Halifax Common with food trucks, artisans, cultural demonstrations and performances. Most nights, there will be programming until 10pm. Cultural demonstrations start every day at 11am. There will also be cultural festivals set up on the Halifax Waterfront and at Dartmouth Crossing, which will run from noon to 5pm daily.
