All Native Basketball Tournament great for community and economy in Prince Rupert
Prince Rupert is at the centre of Ts’msyen territory with a large Indigenous population – over 5,000 – and the All Native is the “cultural heartbeat” of the city. Pond says that when everyone gets together for the tournament, it’s basketball but it’s also family.Kiefer Collison agrees. He’s a Haida broadcaster whose been coming to the tournament and calling games for years. He knows the tournament is huge for Indigenous athletes across the province but also sees how it brings everyone together.
“It’s a battle and it’s more than just basketball,” said Collison. “It’s culture sharing, it’s tradition and it’s camaraderie.” The All Native has grown from what was once a village rivalry into a 50-team tournament with people travelling from all across the province to Prince Rupert for the week-long event.
“If you have a chance to come and watch the games, I think we’re at a time where we’re ready to share our culture,” said Collison. “We’re ready to share our traditions with the world and we’re ready for them to be visible.”While the tournament is of course centered around basketball, it’s hard to ignore its economic impact on the city.Story continues below advertisement
“ the influx of people that come in for , it really changes the whole city of Prince Rupert,” said Collison. “It’s huge revenue building, we bring in a lot of money here.”— people have to make reservations at restaurants they normally wouldn’t and there are lineups at grocery stores; hotels across the city have no vacancies.
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