Kahkewistahaw First Nation hosts 20th annual volleyball tournament

Volleyball tournament at Kahkewistahaw First Nation celebrates its 20th anniversary, known for bringing players and community together.

The Kahkewistahaw First Nation welcomed competitors on Friday for the 20th year of the Canes Classic Senior Girls Volleyball Tournament.

“Good volleyball for one thing,” said Irene Isaac, a tournament organizer, to a question about what spectators can expect to see at the tournament. “This this year’s the 20th annual. So this year, it’s the most teams we’ve ever had in history. This year, we have 16 teams. We have teams from down south [and] north.“

As players were slamming volleyballs, Chief Kahkewistahaw Community School’s gym echoed with the sound of a whistle. The audience clapped and cheered for their teams.

The 16 teams are expected to play around 40 games over the course of two days. It’s no small task to organize.

“Our biggest thing was just trying to work together, trying our best not to overstep,” explained Phillip Sutherland, the first nation’s volleyball coordinator. “Just be as a collective and try to get it done for not just the nation and the school in the tournament, but, you know, for these kids [who] are participating.”

With more teams participating, the stakes were raised for the home team.

“There’s a lot of high calibre that has come this year. We have a couple new teams that are coming. From Weyburn and, a couple new Balcarres teams we invited. So, it’s going to be a tough battle for [the Kahkewistahaw Hurricanes]. It’s tough every year,” said the team’s coach Martina Taypotat.

Hosting indigenous and non-indigenous communities for the weekend is an effort toward reconciliation.

“The event is mostly about truth and reconciliation. Bringing together teams, friends, family, community,” Isaac said.

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An event geared toward active reconciliation in Kahkewistahaw First Nation shouldn’t be a surprise for those following the nation’s Chief Evan Taypotat. A month earlier, on the occasion of the renaming of a nearby highway to Chief Kahkewistahaw Way, he told CTV News and those who attended the celebration that he’d like to see more ‘reconili-action.’

The tournament began through the vision of then-teacher Chief Evan Taypotat and Alana Taypotat, and has been going strong since.

“It’s probably the biggest event of the school throughout the year,” Isaac said.

Sutherland added that he thinks this is the biggest senior girls volleyball tournament in southern Saskatchewan. He said the sport is a massive and integral part of the nation.

“It’s a kind of a cornerstone, I would say. A lot of kids do look at volleyball as an escape for a lot of things, and even just for just for fun and amusement. Really, a lot of entertaining stuff going on in volleyball.”

He admitted to not knowing where Kahkewistahaw’s love for volleyball come from.

“It’s just been here this long as I’ve known it,” Sutherland said.

The tournament wraps up on Saturday evening.