LET THE GAMES BEGIN
Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Summer Games begin Sunday in Eskasoni.
The Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Summer Games is as much a gathering of family and friends as it is a competition.
The 2018 edition opens Sunday in Eskasoni and runs until Aug. 26. The annual event will be held in Cape Breton for the third year in a row: last year’s Games were hosted by Wag- matcook and in 2016, they were staged in Membertou.
“Competition is competition, but it brings people together,” said Games co-ordinator Levi Denny. “The cultural activities we do have planned, the concerts we have planned … the social part of the Games is what makes it huge. Everybody can’t wait to see one another, renew friendships and a little bit of it is to renew rivalries, but most of it is to see your family and friends from other communities.
“The social aspect of it is second to none. It’s what drives these Games — people coming together.”
Eskasoni last hosted in 2012. About 2,000 athletes from First Nations communities across Nova Scotia and even a small contingent from Quebec will attend this time, with hundreds of volunteers, coaches and managers lending their time.
“We run these Games to help the grassroots athletes in our
communities to be able to participate,” said Denny. “These Games are the most inclusive you could have because you can have a participant as young as four and as old as 80.”
There will be 24 sports and cultural events, like archery, golf, softball and fastball, swimming and track and field. The ancient Mi’kmaq game of chance — waltes — and the traditional quadrathlon race (canoeing, running, swimming and archery) are exclusive to the Games.
“When you go back to something like waltes, that’s probably one of our most traditional games the Mi’kmaw do have,” said Denny. “It goes back to time immemorial when people were playing some of these games, so that waltes game is a very old game. It’s readily enjoyed and a lot of people can play it. It’s very interesting to watch, too.”
The 2018 Games open Sunday with a sunrise ceremony/sacred fire lighting from 6 to 8 a.m. at the Noel R. Denny Memorial Pow Wow Grounds. Along with competition, there will be live entertainment throughout the week.
A full schedule of events can be found at eskasonisummergames.ca.