Thousands of athletes and their coaches are descending on Nova Scotia for the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG).
They’re arriving from more than 750 nations and will go for gold in 16 sports. The games haven’t been held since 2017 due to pandemic disruptions, and this is the first time they’ve ever been hosted on the East Coast since their inception in 1990.
Volunteers have been busy preparing for the arrival of around 5,000 young athletes between the ages of 13 and 19 ahead of the opening ceremony on Sunday.
They say they’re excited for participants to celebrate both culture and sport.
“This is part of my reconciliation journey,” says Anita Price. “I hope to contribute, to help and to learn.”
“I want to learn more about the Indigenous culture,” adds Shari-Lynn Hiltz. “I’ve been looking into it and being here and being a part of it and being supportive is the best way to show that I’m there for them.”
They’ve also been helping to transform the Halifax Common into a hub called the Cultural Village, which opens Saturday afternoon. It will feature cultural demonstrations and entertainment on its main stage as well as a marketplace.
It’s one of 47 venues in Halifax, Sipekne’katik and Millbrook First Nation.
“There are so many moving parts to this — I’m absolutely amazed,” says Price.
Hiltz says the 3,000 volunteers have their work cut out for them.
“It’s immense. The logistics are mind-boggling,” she says. “They seem very organized. We have roles to play and they seem like they might be small, but when you step back they’re actually quite large.”
Vendors are also set up at the site. They expect the games will be good for business, especially after some tough pandemic years.
James Augustine of Elsipogtog First Nation travelled from New Brunswick to set up his shop.
“They had a lot of advertisements saying there will probably be fifty to sixty thousand people here,” he says. “It’s an opportunity for my business and my staff to make some money and for my family — it’s the only way we have a job to make money.”
His business has spent the last year making Indigenous arts and crafts to sell at the 2023 games.
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