The fourth annual John (ɂah’wa) D Quitte Men’s Handgame Tournament, set to take place in Gamètì in March, has been postponed.
As first reported by CKLB, the tournament will not run due to the risks associated with gatherings during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Boris Eyakfwo, a member of the Gamètì Hand Game Committee, said the organizing committee wanted to protect Elders and youth who would have participated.
“It’s a very tough decision for us to make, but I think we made the right one,” he said.
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“It’s a traditional game and we just want to play it – we do want to – but we can’t.”
Eyakfwo said the tournament ordinarily helps to bring the community together through fundraising, planning the tournament, then participating and watching the games.
“The purpose of the tournament was based on passing on our traditional game on to the next generation,” he said.
The tournament is named after late Gamètì Elder John (ɂah’wa) D Quitte. While Eyakfwo never met Quitte, he described hearing many stories and seeing videos of him.
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“The way he played and the way he presented himself was very unique, and I looked up to him,” Eyakfwo said.
Eyakfwo characterized feedback so far related to the tournament’s postponement as supportive.
There is so far no date for a rescheduled event.
