At the Indigenous Games, athletes are motivated by more than competition

Cole Prosper is on a journey of perseverance, inspired by a coach who believed in him, the memory of his grandfather and a moment when he made eye contact with an eagle.

The 17-year-old from We’koqma’q First Nation in Nova Scotia will compete this week in the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) in canoe/kayak, just one year after a knee injury that left him thought unable to play the sport.

“I just remember screaming in pain,” Prosper said, recalling the time he tore his ACL during a basketball game. “I remember asking, ‘What am I going to do here? Sport is my life.'”

He is one of hundreds of Mi’kmaw athletes, along with approximately 5,000 other Indigenous teens from across North America, competing in the Games. The opening ceremonies will take place on Sunday and the Games will run through July 23 in Kjipuktuk (Halifax), Dartmouth, NS, and Millbrook First Nation in central Nova Scotia.

After his injury, doctors told Prosper not to play contact sports, such as basketball. The news crushed Prosper, who had hoped to join NAIG.

“I cried because all I wanted to do was exercise and get somewhere,” he said. “I got depressed.”

Sports with cultural significance

Weeks of uncertainty passed until he was approached by Team Mi’kmaw Nova Scotia canoe/kayak head coach Robin Thomson, who gave Prosper another chance and suggested he take up competitive paddling.

“When I heard his story, I encouraged him to come paddle,” Thomson said. “It’s incredible to come out of injury and go through a rough patch and find a different path.”

Prosper hesitated at first as he sat in the boat and lifted his leg to relieve any pressure. But he felt “at peace” and thought of his late grandfather, who paddled for decades.

“I was canoeing alone one night and about five feet from my boat an eagle landed right next to me and we looked at each other,” said Prosper. ‘I could not believe it. For us that is medicine.’

Paddling has deep cultural significance to the Mi’kmaq, as does archery and lacrosse, which are also among the 15 sports at NAIG. Team Mi’kmaw Nova Scotia, also known as Mlkukte’n Klu’lkw Tla’teken, has athletes competing in all sports at the Games, which are open to athletes ages 13 to 19.

Ayden Pierro, the head coach of the Team Mi’kmaw Nova Scotia U16 lacrosse team, is gearing up for the long-awaited return of the Games, which were canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19.

He incorporates the philosophical aspects of the sport, which focus on respect for fellow players as a reminder that the game serves a greater purpose.

“You respect the coaches, the players and of course the game and the Creator,” he said. “I think they’re ready, but I don’t think they’re ready for the experience. How can you be ready for an experience like this?”

Lacrosse, with its origins in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, is known as the “medicine game.” It spread to many other countries, making it a highlight of the Games, and has been played for generations.

Pierro is the Wellness Support Coordinator for the Union of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq Mental Wellness Team and visits communities to tell the history of the game. He tells of the legend of Glooscap and the wizard Winpe, a story that traces how lacrosse was brought to Mi’kmaw territory.

“It’s about two strong beings who compete to see who is the strongest. Both agreed to three games, each winning the first two. The last game was lacrosse and Glooscap won and demanded the medicinal game for the people .”

The team had prepared for the Games before the pandemic, and the delays gave the coaches and the Indigenous Players Lacrosse Association more time to restructure the team.

“When you start your first NAIG, you really don’t know what you’re getting into,” said Pierro, reflecting on his 2014 and 2017 Games. “When I went, it was one of the best years of my life and brought me where I am now.”

Cole Prosper’s father, Phillip Prosper, believes his son’s injury has shifted his path to a greater purpose.

“It’s almost like fate,” said Phillip Prosper. “It’s like my father’s spirit is guiding him in that direction. My father was very good at canoeing and was competitive. I think canoeing was Cole’s calling.”

Cole Prosper said the eagle landing on his canoe reminds him to incorporate the seven sacred teachings during team exercises.

“I’m always reminded to stay calm and humble before going out on the water,” he said. “Once I get to the Games, I won’t be the one paddling, it will be my grandfather paddling the boat with me.”