Indigenous skaters represent Go Skate Day across the Prairies
⭐️HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW⭐️
- June 21 is National Indigenous People’s Day.
- It is also Go Skateboarding Day.
- Events that celebrate the two days together will be held in a few Canadian cities.
- Nation Skate Youth,a Indigenous-led organization dedicated to promoting the sport in Indigenous communities
- Read more about Go Skate Day below. ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
On June 21, skateboarders are planning on bringing people together for National Indigenous People’s Day and Go Skate Day.
One young person in particular is excited to see some professionals in Winnipeg, Manitoba, showing off their skills.
“It’s really important so the youth keep going in skateboarding,” said 13-year-old Keith Mason Jr. from Fisher River Cree Nation, Manitoba.
He has been skateboarding for three years and, come Friday, plans on attending his first joint Go Skate Day/National Indigenous People’s Day event.
Organizers of the event, which is being held at the Plaza at the Forks in Winnipeg, say the goal is to create more avenues for Indigenous people to get involved in the sport.
History of Go Skate Day
This is the 20th year of Go Skate Day, also known as Go Skateboarding Day.
It was started in 2004 by the International Association of Skateboard Companies (IASC) to help grow the sport and now features events all around the world.
The events are open to skaters of all skill levels, and some include skate jams, where people are encouraged to perform tricks.
Some events also include multiple locations, and participants are invited to ride the streets together as they travel between venues.
Bringing skateboarding and Indigenous Peoples Day together
Organizers of the event in Winnipeg say it is an opportunity to build relationships between the skateboarding and Indigenous communities.
“It’s a good day to be Indigenous,” said Rose Archie, who is Shuswap from Tsq’escemc, in British Columbia.
Archie is a co-founder of Nation Skate Youth, a non-profit organization based out of Vancouver, B.C.
Rose Archie is one of the founders of Nation Skate Youth. She will be in Winnipeg to help lead a National Indigenous People’s Day/Go Skate Day event at the Plaza at the Forks (Image credit: Tristan Henry)
The organization, which includes talented Indigenous skaters like Dustin and Tristan Henry, will be visiting Winnipeg on Friday to host an Indigenous People’s Day event at the Forks.
“It’s a pretty special day for both of our worlds to combine and to acknowledge all of the Native skaters across Turtle Island out there. It’s pretty rad,” said Archie.
The goal of Nation Skate Youth is to create a community for Indigenous youth who are interested in skateboarding culture.
“We go to communities, and we share our stories, and we pass along this message … to be proud of who you are and where you come from,” said Archie.
Growing the sport in Indigenous communities
Joe Buffalo is a co-founder and vice-president of Nation Skate Youth and is one of the most well-known Indigenous skaters in Canada.
In 2021, he was featured in a documentary that was produced by legendary skater Tony Hawk.
It was all about skating and his experience attending the Lebret Indian residential school in Saskatchewan.
Keith said that Buffalo’s influence has inspired him as an Indigenous skater new to the sport.
“I’ve seen his documentary like a couple years ago and … I like how he was able to overcome going to residential school and still become a pro skateboarder,” said Keith.
Buffalo said that inspiring kids like Keith is a big part of what he’s trying to do.
“We’re bringing skateboarding to the community, right to the front lines,” said Buffalo, who is based in Vancouver.
“It’s such a rich culture, you know what I mean? And there’s so many positive avenues you could go down like skateboarding.”
Joe Buffalo has been skating for more than 40 years. He wants to showcase the positive avenues of skating to Indigenous youth. (Maggie MacPherson/CBC)
Buffalo, who is Cree from Maskwacis First Nation in Alberta, helped to create a skate park in his community when he was 11 years old.
He rounded up 700 signatures and delivered them to his chief and council at the time to build a skate park on the First Nation.
He said that skating has always been a positive outlet for him and that he has watched as the sport has grown in popularity over the years.
He said that Go Skate Day is one of his favourite days of the year.
“It’s going to bring a lot of allyship, and it’s going to bring a lot of people together.”
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