The 55th Annual Northern Games of the Western Arctic take place in Inuvik from Monday until Saturday, bringing people together for a week of friendly competition, food and fun.
The Northern Games Society, which organizes the event, expects about 150 participants and roughly 500 to 1,000 attendees at the games each day.
“It’s an exciting time to showcase our athletes, our Elders, our young actors on a world stage,” said Donald Kuptana, the society’s executive director.
The Northern Games have been an annual event in the Arctic since 1970, providing an opportunity for competition and showcasing the cultural practices of Inuit from across the circumpolar world.
This year, participants are coming from the likes of Tuktoyaktuk, Inuvik, Paulatuk, Whitehorse, Yellowknife, Fort Good Hope and Fort McPherson.
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They’ll participate in traditional games that test their endurance, strength, agility and resistance to pain. Social laughing games are also played, to have fun and help bring youth out of their shells.
“All of these games are games of survival,” said Gerry Kisoun, the NWT’s newly appointed commissioner and president of the Northern Games Society.
“We’re always trying to pass on the knowledge from our founders of the games, our Elders, and just try to keep the games strong and vibrant.”
The Good Man and Good Woman event involves preparing fish, ducks and seal. In those events, “our young hunters, our Elders … bring their skills from the land to the game,” Kuptana said.
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“We’re building a bridge where youth that normally don’t go on the land are able to see how to skin an animal, how to harvest an animal, and how to make a fire, make bread, make tea. There’s a lot of skill development going on during that time.”
Kisoun said the week will also feature a fashion show, drum dancing and “a lot of storytelling.”
The games are open to anyone who wants to play. “We invite anybody and everyone to come and take part in the games with us,” Kisoun said. “It’s not just for one group of people, it’s for everybody … sit and enjoy, visit, and eat lots of country food.”
The games are supported by a dedicated team of volunteers, many of them former athletes and coaches who are now helping to run the games and “passing it on to their community.”
“Without volunteers, it’s hard to host any event, but what we find with the Northern Games is people want to be a part of it,” Kuptana said.
“Our volunteer base for the Northern Games is usually pretty strong in all the communities.”
Even so, organizers are always looking to find more volunteers to build capacity for the games. If you want to get involved, you find the registration forms (including participant registration and volunteer registration) online.
“It’s so great to see all of these people coming in, volunteering for these events,” Kuptana said. “Because, you know, in the spirit of the Northern Games, this is what it’s all about … making sure that all of these skills from the games are passed on to our youth.”
The full schedule for the Northern Games can be viewed on the society’s website.
