North American Indigenous Games
Encyclopedia
The North American Indigenous Games is a multi-sport event
involving indigenous North American athletes staged intermittently since 1990. The 2006 staging of the Games were managed by the Native American Sports Council, Inc., a non-profit member organization of the United States Olympic Committee
. The Games are governed by the North American Indigenous Games Council, a 26-member council of representatives from 13 provinces and territories in Canada
and 13 regions in the United States
.
, Alberta
, followed by Games in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
in 1993, Blaine, Minnesota
in 1995, Victoria, British Columbia
in 1997, and Winnipeg
, Manitoba
in 2002. The 2006 Indigenous Games were held between July 2 and July 8, 2006 in Denver, Colorado
. The 2008 Games took place in Duncan, British Columbia
. The 2011 games were to be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, but about a year before the games were to be held, Milwaukee withdrew its host application due to lack of financial backers. Other arrangements have, however, been made and the NAIG are indeed being held in Milwaukee, July 2011 on a smaller scale. Some 1700 athletes, trainers, and chaperons are scheduled to attend.
Approximately 10,000 athletes from the United States and Canada took part in the 2006 Games, with more than 1,000 tribes represented. In addition to sporting events, the Games included a parade and a variety of cultural performances. The opening ceremonies were held at Invesco Field at Mile High
and the closing ceremonies were held at Skyline Park.
, silver
, and bronze medal
s were awarded in sixteen sports:
Multi-sport event
A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports between organized teams of athletes from nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of international significance was the modern Olympic Games.Many...
involving indigenous North American athletes staged intermittently since 1990. The 2006 staging of the Games were managed by the Native American Sports Council, Inc., a non-profit member organization of the United States Olympic Committee
United States Olympic Committee
The United States Olympic Committee is a non-profit organization that serves as the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States and coordinates the relationship between the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency and various...
. The Games are governed by the North American Indigenous Games Council, a 26-member council of representatives from 13 provinces and territories in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and 13 regions in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
The first Indigenous Games were held in 1990 in EdmontonEdmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, followed by Games in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
Prince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is situated in the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway to the North" because it is the last major centre along the route to the resources of northern Saskatchewan...
in 1993, Blaine, Minnesota
Blaine, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 44,942 people, 15,898 households, and 12,177 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,330 people per square mile . There are 16,169 housing units at an average density of 477.6 per square mile...
in 1995, Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
in 1997, and Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
in 2002. The 2006 Indigenous Games were held between July 2 and July 8, 2006 in Denver, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. The 2008 Games took place in Duncan, British Columbia
Duncan, British Columbia
Duncan is a city on southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.-History:The community is named after William Chalmers Duncan . He arrived in Victoria in May 1862, then in August of that year he was one of the party of a hundred settlers which Governor Douglas took to Cowichan Bay...
. The 2011 games were to be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, but about a year before the games were to be held, Milwaukee withdrew its host application due to lack of financial backers. Other arrangements have, however, been made and the NAIG are indeed being held in Milwaukee, July 2011 on a smaller scale. Some 1700 athletes, trainers, and chaperons are scheduled to attend.
Approximately 10,000 athletes from the United States and Canada took part in the 2006 Games, with more than 1,000 tribes represented. In addition to sporting events, the Games included a parade and a variety of cultural performances. The opening ceremonies were held at Invesco Field at Mile High
INVESCO Field at Mile High
Sports Authority Field at Mile High, previously known as Invesco Field at Mile High, and commonly known as Mile High, is a multi-purpose stadium, in Denver, Colorado. It replaced the identically sized, but commercially obsolete Mile High Stadium in 2001...
and the closing ceremonies were held at Skyline Park.
Editions
| Edition | Host | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | First North American Indigenous Games |
| 1993 | Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada | |
| 1995 | Blaine, Minnesota, United States of America | |
| 1997 | Victoria, British Columbia, Canada | |
| 2002 | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | |
| 2006 | Denver, Colorado, United States | |
| 2008 | Duncan, BC, Canada | |
| 2011 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA | "Games not cancelled but being held on a smaller scale than previous years" |
Sports
GoldGold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
, silver
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
, and bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
s were awarded in sixteen sports:
- ArcheryArcheryArchery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
- BadmintonBadmintonBadminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
- BasketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
- BaseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
- BoxingBoxingBoxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
- CanoeingCanoeingCanoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
- GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- LacrosseLacrosseLacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
- Rifle ShootingShooting sportsA shooting sport is a competitive sport involving tests of proficiency using various types of guns such as firearms and airguns . Hunting is also a shooting sport, and indeed shooting live pigeons was an Olympic event...
- Soccer
- SoftballSoftballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
- SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
- Tae Kwon Do
- Track and FieldTrack and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
and Cross-country running - VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
- WrestlingWrestlingWrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...