SPOTLIGHT
Culture meets competition in Kjipuktuk 2023 North American Indigenous Games set to take place in Halifax By Emily Bednarz ALL IMAGES CONTRIBUTED
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t’s the largest multi-sport and Indigenous cultural event ever to be held in Atlantic Canada since contact. Starting on July 15, 2023, the North American Indigenous Games will bring culture, competition, and celebration to 21 venues across Kjipuktuk (Halifax), Dartmouth, and Millbrook First Nation. Alongside cultural events and performances, the Games will host competitions in 16 sports over eight days with support from 3,000 volunteers. This time next year, Kjipuktuk will welcome more than 5,000 performers, coaches, managers from 756 nations from across Turtle Island (North America).
Creating opportunity for Indigenous youth The North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) first started in 1990, according to Tex Marshall, President 20
of 2023 NAIG Host Society. It’s now the largest multi-sport and cultural event held for Indigenous youth in North America. “The Games take place every four years with the vision to encourage equal access to participation in the sport, social, cultural, and spiritual fabric of the community,” says Marshall. “In broader terms, the Games provide an opportunity for Indigenous youth to come together to celebrate and feel pride in their culture.” The Games connect competition, culture, and opportunity for Indigenous youth. “The collective experience of being among 5,000 other Indigenous youth not only helps to increase pride in being Indigenous, but also has the potential to push their athletic career to new heights,” says Marshall. For many of the athletes, the Games will be their first opportunity to represent their nation. “That’s why culture
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is so intertwined in every aspect of the Games,” says Marshall. “We want them to feel comfortable and proud to show their culture — from the venues they compete in, to the accommodations they stay in, and throughout the whole city.” The impact for participating Indigenous youth goes beyond performance. “That sense of pride, connection, and confidence not only helps them in their athletic goals,” says Marshall. “It can also lead them to so many other opportunities in their lives. That’s why these Games are so important.”
What the Games bring to Kjipuktuk Fiona Kirkpatrick Parsons, Board Chair of the 2023 NAIG Host Society, outlines what to expect in Kjipuktuk next summer. “The first day of the Games promises to be magical, beginning with
