Competitors welcome return of North American Indigenous Games

Pjila'si. Welcome. Thousands of athletes are about to experience Pjila'si for the first time as the 10th edition of the North American Indigenous Games get underway in Atlantic Canada.

The event is the first since 2017 because of cancellations due to COVID. It runs July 16-23 in and near Kjipuktuk (Halifax), Dartmouth, Millbrook First Nation and Sipekne'katik, Nova Scotia traditional Mi'kma'ki territory. It will be the largest indigenous gathering in Atlantic Canada's history and CBC will have coverage throughout, including 1,500 hours of streamed events.

"More than welcome, Pjila'si means: we are saving you a seat at the table," said Brendon Smithson, NAIG's CEO. "These games have been postponed for three years and that seat is still waiting for you."

NAIG is sometimes described as  "The Indigenous Olympics," with 750 nations coming together, more than three times the 200 that will compete at next summer's Paris Olympics. NAIG is all about friendly rivalries, meeting new competitors, learning new strategies and new languages.

Like the Olympics, NAIG is multi-disciplinary, with competition in 16 sports, including canoe/kayak, archery and lacrosse. And like the Olympics, the host communities are always proud to share their culture. NAIG athletes and their families and chaperones are immersed in a scene rich with Indigenous food, art, music, dance, fashion. Traditional practices are shared and mashed up with modern materials and ideas. 

WATCH | An athlete returns, 6 years after her NAIG debut:

NAIG is its own beautiful thing. It is also one of the success stories from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 Calls to Action. NAIG is living proof that sport is a pathway to reconciliation.

Smithson has watched it