HALIFAX, N.S. – When Nikkita Beaver-Ear signed up for an after-school archery program last year, the idea of competing at the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) the next summer seemed like a long shot.
Fast forward 10 months of training, thousands of arrows loosed and a five-hour flight, and the determined 15-year-old from Chiniki First Nation is now shooting for a top spot at the games in Halifax among some of North America’s best young archers on Team Alberta.
“I didn’t expect to find myself on the team. So, it’s a big step in life, really,” said Beaver-Ear on the day of her departing flight last week. “I’ll be away for nine days, but I’m excited to see new places and meet new people.”
Over 5,000 Indigenous athletes ages 13 to 19 are competing in the NAIG, running from July 15-23. The games showcase 16 different sports and events are being held in 21 venues in Halifax, Dartmouth, and Millbrook and Sipekne'katik First Nations.
On the first day of a two-day total qualifier in the 16U 3D compound archery event at the Millbrook Archery Facility, Beaver-Ear shot 212 points for 6th place. The Outlook was unable to update this story with results from the second qualifying round (July 19) due to publication deadline.
In the event, archers target fake three-dimensional animals set up on a course with unique shooting challenges. After two qualifying rounds, archers compete in a two-day elimination style competition leading up to the final on July 21.
Beaver-Ear didn’t know she was going to the games until about a week before they started, which left only a little extra time to knock a few arrows loose in the backyard.
“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind trying to get ready for this,” she said. “I’m feeling nervous but confident. I’ve been practicing as much as I can in hopes of getting in the top three in my category.”
The Grade 10 student, going into Grade 11 at Mînî Thnî Community School, was one of the most consistent and disciplined among her peers in Nakoda Youth Council’s Ijathabi Yathabi Archery program, said coach Daryl Kootenay.
“Nikkita has been there from the beginning. She was a natural and just seeing the consistency she had in showing up and seeing her shooting it’s really a no-brainer as to how well she’s picked up the skill of archery, and I’m not at all surprised that she’s now putting those skills to the test in Halifax,” he said.
Beaver-Ear said Kootenay has been a big advocate for her in the sport. For Kootenay, archery has always been part of his life, he grew up around bow-making and hunting. He believes it’s an important practice to connect with Îyârhe Nakoda values.
“One of the best things about archery is it’s really about yourself,” said Kootenay. “I’m a big bow hunter and overall I just think the practice of hunting is healing, hunting is grounding. It’s not so much about the pursuit of the animal, it’s actually about the process of getting out on the land.”
Kootenay, who is a co-founder of the Nakoda Youth Council – a grassroots group in Îyârhe Nakoda First Nation prioritizing community wellness and relationship-building – said seeing Beaver-Ear competing in Halifax feels like a full circle moment.
The youth council also sends Indigenous youth to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues each year and one of the initiatives the UN Declaration has contributed to is the creation of the NAIG, which started in 1990.
“It’s very significant in terms of having a space that’s prioritizing, respecting, showcasing and allowing Indigenous peoples to be Indigenous,” said Kootenay of the games. “It’s Indigenous peoples exercising their rights through sports and recreation.”
Beaver-Ear’s dad Melvin Beaver and stepmom Lanie Daniels said when a relative notified them of the opportunity to apply for the games, they were quick to encourage her to apply.
“I think we saw her potential the day she came home and told us she was going to join an archery program. She didn’t ask, she told us,” said Beaver. “We’re very proud and excited for her no matter how she does.”
All NAIG events are streaming on the games’ YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@NAIG2023/streams and a schedule can be found at www.naig2023.com/sports/schedule.
Also competing for Team Alberta at the games is Jonah Chiniquay, from Îyârhe Nakoda First Nation. Chiniquay is on the U16 basketball team, which lost its first game on July 17 72-60 to the Eastern Door and the North – the team representing Quebec First Nations and Inuit. On July 18, the team lost its second game to Team B.C. 72-67.
The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada. The position covers Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation and Kananaskis Country.
