North American Indigenous Games facts for kids
The North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) is a big sports event for Indigenous young people from Canada and the United States. It brings together athletes from many different Indigenous nations to compete in various sports.
The Games are managed by the North American Indigenous Games Council. This council has 26 members. They represent 13 provinces and territories in Canada and 13 regions in the United States. The NAIG is a special event that celebrates Indigenous culture and sports.
Contents
History of the Games
The idea for a sports event for Indigenous peoples in North America started a long time ago, in the 1970s.
In 1971, the Native Summer Games were held in Enoch, Alberta, Canada. About 3,000 people took part in 13 sports and many cultural activities.
Then, in 1973, the Western Canada Native Winter Games happened on the Blood Reserve in Kainai, Alberta, Canada.
In 1975, a group called the National Indian Athletic Association met in Reno, Nevada. They decided to organize games specifically for Indigenous peoples. Two important people at this meeting were John Fletcher from Peigan and Willie Littlechild from Cree (Ermineskin Tribe). John Fletcher strongly supported the idea, which Willie Littlechild presented.
In 1977, the dream grew even bigger. At a meeting in Sweden, Willie Littlechild suggested holding international Indigenous games. Everyone agreed! An elder from Brazil was so touched that he gave Willie Littlechild a special war arrow. This arrow represented peace and is now part of a sacred ceremony.
The main goal of the NAIG was to make life better for Indigenous peoples. It aimed to support sports and cultural activities. These activities would help people connect with their community and celebrate their unique Indigenous heritage.
Charles Wood, who was the chairperson in 1990, said that the vision for the NAIG came from a concern for young people in Indigenous communities. He and his brothers wanted to create something positive for them. The games would allow young Indigenous athletes to show their skills. They would also make new friends and reconnect with old ones.
This dream finally came true in 1990.
The first North American Indigenous Games were held in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1990. After that, they were held in different cities:
- Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, in 1993
- Blaine, Minnesota, in 1995
- Victoria, British Columbia, in 1997
- Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 2002
- Denver, Colorado, in 2006
- Cowichan, British Columbia, in 2008
The 2011 games were planned for Milwaukee, Wisconsin. However, Milwaukee had to pull out because they couldn't find enough money. Still, a smaller event called the "United States Indigenous Games" was held in Milwaukee in July 2011.
The 2014 games took place in Regina, Saskatchewan. The 2017 games were held in Toronto, Ontario.
The 2006 games in Denver were the biggest so far. About 10,000 athletes from Canada and the United States participated. More than 1,000 different Indigenous tribes were represented. Besides sports, there was a parade and many cultural performances.
In 2014, about 5,000 athletes from Canada and the United States competed in Regina, Saskatchewan. Over 756 tribes were represented. The games included a large cultural village at The First Nations University of Canada. There were also many cultural performances throughout the city. A big storm hit the cultural village during the games. But over 300 volunteers worked all night to clean it up. This made sure activities could continue the next day.
Past Games and Hosts
Here is a list of the North American Indigenous Games that have taken place:
| Edition | Year | Host | Location | Notes | Results | Overall winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | 1990 |  Canada |
Edmonton, Alberta | First NAIG, 3,000 participants in 15 sports | 37 cultural groups and ceremonial run |  Team Saskatchewan |
| II | 1993 | Canada |
Prince Albert, Saskatchewan | 4,400 participants in 15 sports | Traditional powwow | Team Saskatchewan |
| III | 1995 |  United States |
Blaine, Minnesota | 8,500 participants in 17 sports | 2,500 cultural performers | Team Saskatchewan |
| IV | 1997 | Canada |
Victoria, British Columbia | 5,000 participants in 16 sports | 3,000 cultural participants | Team Saskatchewan |
| V | 2002 | Canada |
Winnipeg, Manitoba | 6,500 participants in 16 sports | 3,000 cultural participants |  Team Manitoba |
| VI | 2006 | United States |
Denver, Colorado | 10,000 participants in 16 sports | Team Saskatchewan |
|
| VII | 2008 | Canada |
Cowichan, British Columbia | 4,700 participants in 14 sports | 300 artists, 2000 tribal journey participants, spirit pole | Team Saskatchewan |
| VIII | 2011 | United States |
Milwaukee, Wisconsin | The 2011 NAIG were cancelled. The Milwaukee host society withdrew their involvement as host for 2011 NAIG in June 2010. They resumed instead with hosting the "inaugural U.S. Indigenous Games" | N/A (Game was cancelled) | |
| IX | 2014 | Canada |
Regina, Saskatchewan | 5,000 participants in 15 sports | traditional indigenous activities, cultural village, lance run |  Team British Columbia |
| X | 2017 | Canada |
Toronto, Ontario | Toronto was chosen to host the 2017 NAIG. The games were held from July 16–23, 2017. | Team British Columbia |
|
| XI | 2020 | Canada |
Halifax, Nova Scotia | These games were cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They are planned to be rescheduled. | ||
Sports at the Games
Athletes at the North American Indigenous Games compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals. There are usually sixteen different sports.
Some of the sports include:
- Archery
- Badminton
- Basketball
- Baseball
- Boxing
- Canoeing
- Golf
- Lacrosse
- Rifle shooting
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming
- Tae Kwon Do
- Track and field and cross-country running
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
Total Medals Won
This table shows how many medals different teams have won over the years at the North American Indigenous Games.
| Team | № games |  |
 |
 |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Saskatchewan |
8 | 708 | 713 | 473 | 1894 |
 Alberta |
8 | 356 | 366 | 385 | 1056 |
 Manitoba |
8 | 292 | 303 | 254 | 849 |
 British Columbia |
8 | 331 | 229 | 211 | 772 |
 Ontario |
8 | 281 | 239 | 204 | 724 |
| Eastern Door and North | 6 | 175 | 120 | 118 | 410 |
 Yukon |
8 | 90 | 103 | 101 | 294 |
 Northwest Territories |
8 | 54 | 67 | 90 | 209 |
 Washington |
8 | 84 | 50 | 45 | 179 |
 New Mexico |
4 | 59 | 50 | 45 | 154 |
 Wisconsin |
6 | 55 | 47 | 48 | 150 |
 New York |
7 | 50 | 49 | 47 | 147 |
 North Dakota |
5 | 57 | 36 | 21 | 114 |
 Colorado |
6 | 39 | 34 | 28 | 103 |
 Arizona |
5 | 40 | 23 | 22 | 88 |
 Nova Scotia |
4 | 18 | 23 | 41 | 82 |
 Minnesota |
5 | 30 | 27 | 18 | 75 |
 Oklahoma |
3 | 33 | 22 | 17 | 72 |
 Connecticut |
6 | 33 | 17 | 22 | 72 |
 New Brunswick |
6 | 27 | 14 | 26 | 67 |
 Newfoundland and Labrador |
2 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 52 |
 South Dakota |
5 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 49 |
 Quebec |
2 | 22 | 12 | 7 | 41 |
 Florida |
6 | 8 | 8 | 13 | 29 |
 Maine |
3 | 7 | 8 | 12 | 27 |
 Oregon |
4 | 11 | 12 | 3 | 26 |
 Nunavut |
4 | 10 | 13 | 4 | 26 |
 Michigan |
4 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 25 |
 Iowa |
4 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 18 |
 Idaho |
1 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 17 |
 California |
4 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 16 |
 Montana |
4 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 13 |
 Prince Edward Island |
3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
 Utah |
2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
 North Carolina |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
 Mississippi |
2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
 Kansas |
1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
 Georgia |
1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
 Nebraska |
1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Maritimes |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cultural Celebrations
The North American Indigenous Games are not just about sports. They also have a very important cultural program. This program is for both the athletes and the people living in the host city.
The cultural program follows these main ideas:
- It promotes Indigenous cultural activities and shows.
- It highlights the local Indigenous history and culture of the host area.
- It makes sure traditional ceremonies are available for everyone taking part in the Games.
- It ensures that traditional foods are sold throughout the Games village.
- It gives Indigenous people a chance to sell, show, and promote their crafts and artwork.
- It helps Indigenous people share knowledge about youth programs.
- It includes an Elders Program. This program encourages sharing culture and history through storytelling, ceremonies, and discussions.
- There is a cultural gala with performers from all participating groups at the start of the Cultural Village.
- The cultural program is designed to be interesting for everyone, including the public, participants, and visitors.
How Cities Host the Games
The NAIG was first planned to happen every three years. The host city would switch between Canada and the United States. Recently, though, the Games have mostly been held in Canadian cities.
Cities that want to host the NAIG must go through a long and detailed process. The NAIG Council Bid Committee is in charge of this process. They update the rules, start the bidding, and check all the applications.
See also
- World Indigenous Games
- Indigenous Peoples' Games
