Latest news with #ManitobaIndigenousSummerGames
CBC
31-03-2025
- Sport
- CBC
2 First Nations to host return of Manitoba Indigenous Summer Games
After more than a decade, the Manitoba Indigenous Summer Games are returning this July and August. The importance of the games is not lost on Robyn Cruz, major games manager for the Manitoba Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Council. "It's really about making sure those kids feel safe, welcome, recognized and seen and ensuring the TRC's calls to action are recognized," she said. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls To Action 87-91 are about Indigenous access to and involvement in sports and recreation. The games will take place in Norway House Cree Nation, about 450 kilometres north of Winnipeg, from July 9-13 and in and around Sagkeeng Anicinabe Nation, about 100 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, Aug. 17-23. An expected 2,000-4,000 Indigenous athletes under 16 are expected to attend the games. Each community will host a number of sports, demonstration sports, and cultural events. Edward "Sonny" Albert, president of the MISG North host corporation, which is running the first week of the games in Norway House, said preparations are well underway. "Right now the focus is on the athletes. We've provided agreements with the schools and we're preparing for our athletes village there as well," he said. The games were last held in 2011, also with split hosting duties between Peguis First Nation and Opaskwayak Cree Nation. 1st week Norway House will host eight sports (badminton, 3x3 basketball, beach volleyball, canoeing, soccer, softball, volleyball, and 10K) and two demonstration sports (wrestling and York boat racing) selected by the host committee to represent the history and culture of the community. The York boat races reflect the history of the region during the fur trade and celebrate the Treaty & York Boat Days that are held every summer in Norway House. The wrestling competition is being held in honour of 2024 Team Canada Olympian and band member Justina Di Stasio. The 10K will be held in honour of Joe Keeper, a member of the Norway House Cree Nation and member of the 1912 Canadian Olympic team in the 5K and 10K events. "We wanted to make sure that we kind of provide that homage to honour our people in that sense." Albert said. 2nd week Week two of the games will be run by the Northeastern Nations Friends of the Games, made up of Sagkeeng and the communities of Black River, Brokenhead, Hollow Water, Powerview/Pine Falls, Lac Du Bonnet and Manigotagan. The communities will host archery, athletics, basketball, ball hockey, and golf competitions, with lacrosse as a demonstration sport. Sagkeeng has a long and storied history with the game of lacrosse, with a number of its citizens playing at the provincial and national levels, thus the host committee chose it as its demonstration sport. "We're looking forward to using the games to revitalize the interest in the sport again because we had some really top notch, top quality lacrosse players here at one time," said Sagkeeng Chief E.J. Fontaine. For the athletics competition, a $600,000 rubberized track is being installed at the Sagkeeng Junior High school especially for the games, which Fontaine said is a legacy project for the community. Fontaine said he remembers the vibe when Winnipeg hosted the Pan Am Games in 1999. "It was just a really celebratory feeling and that's what I want to have in the community," he said. First Nations, Métis and Inuit athletes born after Jan. 1, 2009 are eligible to participate in this year's Manitoba Indigenous Summer Games. There is also a call out for volunteers, coaches and sponsors.
CBC
24-03-2025
- Health
- CBC
Southern Chiefs' Organization invests $1.5M in holistic wellness initiative
Social Sharing The Southern Chiefs' Organization has launched a holistic health-care initiative that it says will centre on the teachings of the Anishinaabe and Dakota Nations of southern Manitoba. The Healthy Living campaign will contribute to the health of nearly three dozen nations the organization represents, by promoting the physical wellness of youth through basketball, healthy eating through garden competitions, language classes and a First Nation youth drum group, according to a Monday news release from the SCO. "The 11-year life-expectancy gap is a trend that's not reversing, it's actually getting worse … we really need to put a lot of focus into our health care," Daniels told reporters later at a news conference on Monday. "We want to highlight the challenges that we're seeing with diabetes. We want to get our young people moving. We want to get that relationship with our food made a priority — knowledge, our culture, our languages." About two-thirds of the $1.5 million in funding will back young basketball players participating in the revival of the Manitoba Indigenous Summer Games in Sagkeeng from August 17-23. E.J. Fontaine, chief of Sagkeeng First Nation, told reporters it will be the first time the Games will be held following a 10-year hiatus, and 4,000 athletes, spectators, parents and officials are expected to attend. "We put together a bid and we proposed to the Manitoba Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Centre to revive the Games, and we were successful in securing the bid along with Norway House," Fontaine said. "It's very important that we're having the Games revived in our communities because we have to give our kids an alternative path to living." Fontaine says the Games are the physical health part of the four-directions teachings given to him as a young man by an elder: healthy body, healthy soul, healthy mind and healthy spirit. "I followed that, and when I was 22 years old, I was able to change my life around from being addicted to drugs and alcohol. And I'm really happy that I followed the advice of the elder," Fontaine said. "It's only through sports and recreation that we're going to steer our kids, our youth, in the right path, away from some of the drug problems we have in our community." Another $100,000 of funding will go to support summer basketball camps for youth in the 32 Anishinaabe and Dakota Nations that SCO represents. Themes of wellness The health campaign focuses on seven themes of wellness as medicine: food, water, movement, community, land, knowledge and culture. As part of the cultural prong of health, a youth drum group will receive $100,000 to aid in the dissemination of songs and dances to young people, with $300,000 put toward language classes in several SCO communities. Food and the relationship to food will be encouraged through a garden competitions, Daniels says, as a way to spotlight the work already being done in First Nations communities. "We've really wanted to promote healthy eating and the relationship with our food … we want to really push for gardening within the schools … change our eating behaviours and really highlight that among our young people," Daniels said. Willie Moore, the Assembly of First Nations regional chief representing Manitoba, says children in the province have the highest rate of Type 2 diabetes in the world, with 85 per cent being Indigenous. Moore says it's been 20 years since the Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative, a Health Canada program, last saw a funding increase.
