Team Mni-Sota at the 2023 North American Indigenous Games

A group of athletes, coaches, and chaperones will be making their way to Kjipuktuk, (Halifax), Nova Scotia to participate in the games which will be held from July 15-23. The group is made up of young people from across the state that will be competing against the best of the best from across North America. Tryouts were held across the state at various locations in the past year. The event itself is huge with over 5000 athletes representing 756 Tribal Nations and is the largest sporting event ever held in Nova Scotia. The games will take place on the traditional territory of the Mi’kma’ki, the traditional and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmak people. They feature 15 sports and are modeled after the Olympics, complete with an opening and closing ceremony and beautiful, unique gold, silver, and bronze medals.

Team Mni-Sota will be made up of 6 basketball teams in the 19U, 16U, and 14U age categories in both boys and girls divisions. A 19U girls volleyball team, a 19U Boys baseball team, a group of 6 golfers, along with a competitor in athletics. The group features some very talented athletes, as well as coaches who had great athletic careers.

Team Mni-Sota last competed in the 2017 NAIG in Toronto, Ontario Canada where they brought 5 basketball teams and brought home a gold, silver and 2 bronze medals. The games were cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, and will next be held in 2027, following a 4-year rotation from hereon. The first games were held in 1990 in Edmonton, Alberta and operated on a 3-year rotation.

Each athletes Tribe sponsored their airfare, lodging, and meals while at the games, for that we are very thankful, the trip couldn’t have happened with their support, as well as the support from the adult coaching staff and chaperones.

The teams are:

19U Boys basketball:

• Ken Fox, III – Fon du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

• Cade Beaulieu - Red Lake Nation

• Gerald Kingbird, Jr. - Red Lake Nation

• Leodyn Kingbird, - Red Lake Nation

• Jeremy Brown, Jr. - Red Lake Nation

• Samuel Wilson - Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Cale Jackson - Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Charlie Vandeberg - Ho-Chunk Nation

• Laiten Goodthunder - Lower Sioux Indian Community

• Patrick Crow -

• David Olson, Coach, Deer River High school

• Pete Nez, Navajo Nation, Coach, Redwood Valley High School

19U Girls’ Basketball

• Teandra Pemberton-Kingbird – Red Lake Nation

• CeAngela Pemberton – Red Lake Nation

• Lillia Pemberton – Red Lake Nation

• Nataya Neadeau – Red Lake Nation

• Tylicia Graves-Desjarlait – Red Lake Nation

• Alexia Larose – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Shaylei Fallsdown – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Amira Laduke – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Constance Bowstring – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Antavia Bowstring – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Nevaeh Williams – White Earth Band of Ojibwe

• Grace White, Coach Red Lake Nation

• Taryn Frazer, Coach Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Gerald Kingbird, Sr. Red Lake Nation, Manager

16U Boys Basketball:

• Lorenzo Reyes – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Kingsly Whitebird – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Tate Boswell – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Ethan Buckholtz – Lac du Flambeau

• Hassani Bruton – White Earth Band of Ojibwe

• William Moose, Jr. – White Earth Band of Ojibwe

• Muckwa Roberts, Jr. – LCO

• Andrew Roy - Red Lake Nation

• Ryan Kingbird – Red Lake Nation

• Julian Greer, Jr. – Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe

• Malakai Crow – Ogalala Sioux Tribe

• August Peltier – Turtle Mountain Chippewa

• Muckwa Roberts, Sr. Coach – Red Lake Nation

16U Girls Basketball

• Tiana Wind – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Aaliyah Larose – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Kaitlyn Laduke – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Kaleah Jackson – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Kiara Goggleye – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Lilyana Dixon – Lower Sioux Indian Community

• Brynn Chosa – Bois Forte Band of Chippewa

• Olivia Blacklance – White Earth Band of Ojibwe

• Corey Littlewolf, Coach – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

14U Boys Basketball

• Angelo Reyes – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Kenyon Goggleye – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Chris Jourdain, Jr. – Red Lake Nation

• Isaac Jourdain – Red Lake Nation

• Kacen Mendoza – Red Lake Nation

• Jacob Andersen – Red Lake Nation

• Isiah Neadeau, Red Lake Nation

• Jaylen Greer – Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe

• Sam Strong, Coach – Red Lake Nation

14U Girls Basketball –

• Jada Roy, White Earth Band of Ojibwe

• Bethany Blacklance – White Earth Band of Ojibwe

• Brooklynn Graves – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Nichelle Howard – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Dazzlyn Fairbanks – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Desirae Cloud – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Chantkiya Wabasha – Lower Sioux Indian Community

• Justice Brown – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Scott Brown, Coach, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Tim Taggart, Coach, Mille Lac Band of Ojibwe

Baseball 19U Boys

• Kayden Gotchie – Red Lake Nation

• Brailen Lussier – Red Lake Nation

• Tre’Shaun Neadeau – Red Lake Nation

• Joshua Graves – Red Lake Nation

• Kenton Goggleye – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Niko Jackson – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Isaiah Aagard – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Jermaine Moose – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Jeremiah Moose – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Chase Palmiotto – White Earth Band of Ojibwe

• Ryan Palmiotto – White Earth Band of Ojibwe

• Taylor Dahl – White Earth Band of Ojibwe

• Amerin Chamberlin – Ho-Chunk Nation

• Taylor Humphrey, Coach – Leech Lake Nation

• Faron Jackson, Sr. Coach – Leech Lake Nation

• Carlos Merrill, Manager – Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe

Golf:

• Gaven Brown, 19U Boys – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Kyle Gotchie, 19U Boys – Red Lake Nation

• Karen Guise, 19U Girls – Red Lake Nation

• Nakomis Mitchell, 19U Girls – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Ella O’Keefe, 16U Girls – Lower Sioux Indian Community

• Camryn Anoka, 16U Girls – Fon du Lac Band of Ojibwe

• Jamie Mitchell, Coach – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Coltin Mitchell, Manager – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

Volleyball 19U Girls

• Olivia Burnette – White Earth Band of Ojibwe

• Aniah Smith – White Earth Band of Ojibwe

• Sheynelle Weaver – White Earth Band of Ojibwe

• Layla Nickaboine – Fon du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

• Cheyenne Olson – Fon du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

• Jada Anderson – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Mackenzie Moore – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Mataya Mitchell – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Destinee Wittner – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• KyLeigh’Auna Graves – Red Lake Nation

• Patricia Crow – Pine Ridge Sioux

• Lisa Mitchell, Coach – White Earth Band of Ojibwe

• Amber Brunelle, Coach – White Earth Band of Ojibwe

• Shelly Weaver, Manager – White Earth Band of Ojibwe

Athletics

• Sydney Kingbird-Haugen, Red Lake Nation

• Pat Haugen, Coach – Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

More info on the games can be found at http://www.naig2023.com