All language subtitles for Saints.And.Warriors.2025.2160p.4K.WEB.x265.10bit.AAC5.1-[YTS.BZ]

Defense! Defense!

Everybody across the land

that tuned in to the coverage
here for the week

at the All-Native
Basketball Tournament.

...at the gym, I see people

peeking through windows
all over the place,

they're out in the lobby...

600 athletes, 3,000 fans.

People often purchase tickets
to next year's games this year,

so as not to miss out.

Front-row seats
are so precious,

they're passed on in wills

from one generation
to the next.

And it's good!

I go every year.

I'm one of the loudest.

The All-Native
is our Super Bowl.

The sense of pride at the
All-Native Basketball Tournament

is what it's all about,

representing your nation.

...go almost the whole way,

but the championship pedigree
of Skidegate Saints...

It's gonna be
a Skidegate championship!

And that seals the deal
for the Skidegate Saints!

They came marching in,
and they won the title!

There are teams

that have played in
the All-Native for 63 years

that have
never beat the Saints,

and never will.

It's been a decade
of dominance for Skidegate.

I think this'll be their eighth
championship in 11 years.

I think when people
think of Haida basketball,

they're just, like, "Oh, my god.

When are these guys
gonna stop winning?"

Skidegate Saints!

Champions once again! 76-64.

Saints are still on top.

Saints are still
the team to beat.

I think
there's something in the water.

The Saints of Skidegate

punch their ticket
to the semifinal!

And he nails it! 86-85!

- Ohh...
- My god!

Haida Gwaii

is one of the most
amazing places on Earth.

It's isolated from the mainland,

broken up
into different islands

from north to south,
east to west,

allowing Haida clans
to thrive.

To me, it's one
of the most grounding

and humbling places
on Earth.

At times,
it feels like my spirit

can float within the clouds
or move with the wind.

Afternoon.

Can you introduce yourself
for me, please?

Ahem. Uh, yeah.
I'm Xyallaga Daaguuyah,

Desi Collinson.

I belong
to the T'aanuu Wolf Clan,

and I've, I was born and raised
here in Skidegate,

and, uh, I've been living here,
uh, my whole life.

We're at the George Brown
Recreation Centre.

You know, this is where I work,
I'm the recreation coordinator.

A lot of different programs

and a lot of different things
happen here.

Woo!

I have to manage
and do all the tournaments.

Being a Skidegate Saint
and a role model,

it's important to guide
in that right direction.

It encourages individuals

to want to be here

and want to live here
in Haida Gwaii.

You guys like my calendar?

You walk into this gym
and you see all those banners,

it says something, right?

And for me,

I've been involved in every
single one of those banners

that's on that wall.

I was either there
to witness them,

or I've played in them,
besides that middle banner.

I don't know which year it is,

but it was prior to the year
I was even born, right?

So...

I put those banners
up there, so...

You don't even have room
for all your banners.

Yeah. No. Like,
I literally nailed those in,

or taped those up.

Like, I put them up there.

Like, that's my...
that's the decor. I did that.

Well, I was born and raised
playing basketball.

Like, I can't remember a moment

that I, you know,
I wasn't playing basketball.

My brother played basketball.

My older cousins
played basketball.

My uncles play basketball.
Do you know what I mean?

My chinaay
played basketball.

Every, all of us
play basketball,

and Skidegate has developed
this huge love for basketball

in a sense that is,
you know, it's, it's...

you're having this emotional,
do you know what I mean?

You have this emotional...
uh, connection with it.

That's why I do what I do.

You pick out
10 people from Skidegate,

they're probably gonna be
better at basketball than you.

That's just
all there is to it.

Woo!

The Skidegate Saints

are one of
the most dominant forces

when it comes to Rez ball.

They just know
how to get it done.

They're
basketball players,

but they do so much else.

The uncles of Skidegate,

that's what
the Saints are to me.

Everybody here
loves basketball.

I don't think
I've seen anything like it.

On Haida Gwaii...

it's the main sport.

The only sport, really.

Basketball is not
just basketball here.

Basketball is responsibility
and mentorship and leadership.

It's village ball, eh?
And that's... different.

The team-building, the family,

the excitement, the pride...

it's just part of Haida culture.

At one time,

it was illegal
for Indigenous people

to gather
in groups of a certain size,

so the sport became
this other way to do that.

We get to come
and watch people battle it out.

We have a lot of pride
in how well we do.

Get a taste of winning,

it's pretty hard to let it go,
I guess, eh.

Yep.

Wanna win every year.

They've just been playing
so long together,

they have each others' backs.

They bring
everything Haida into the game,

and the dedication
that they have...

"Saints" on three!

One, two, three, Saints!

...moves back out
into everything they do.

That was fun, I guess, eh?

Gaagwiis, uh,
is my Haida name.

My English name is Jason Alsop.

I'm a member of
the Kayahl 'Laanas,

or Ts'aahl Eagle Clan,

from the West Coast
of Haida Gwaii,

Captain of the Skidegate
Senior Saints,

and, um, Elected President
of the Haida Nation.

You know, my job is to

uphold our Haida Nation
constitution,

build good relationships
with our neighbours,

and managing the lands
and waters,

but also
our health and education

and our just general
well-being here,

living on Haida Gwaii.

I'm one of
the people who was affected

by the Indian Act legislation,

in terms of not growing up
with Indian Status.

Indian Status is an element
of the Indian Act

that attempted to define

who is an Indigenous person
in Canada.

It was designed to eventually

just assimilate
Indigenous people in Canada

into mainstream
Canadian society.

My grandmother, my nanaay,

married another Haida person
who didn't have status,

so she lost her status,

and so my mom and my aunties
didn't have their status,

so they weren't allowed
to live in Skidegate.

You know, they were trying
to strip them of their rights

and separate them from
their community and culture.

I grew up watching
my dad play basketball.

He's not Haida,

but I think it helped him
become part of the community

and be accepted,

but I understood

that basketball was important
to the community,

and I think, subconsciously,
at some point in my life,

made a decision that, you know,

if I'm really good
at basketball,

I'm going to be accepted.

So that, I think, drove me
to pursue it in a serious way,

to become really good at it...

...and wanting to make sure

that I was gonna be for sure

part of this community
and part of this culture,

because I was gonna
to be so good that they...

I could never be denied.

My brother Duane,

I guess it's a trust
and a bond

that we have naturally
as brothers,

and it carries on the court,

but I think we carry it
off the court too.

My name is, uh, Duane Alsop.

I'm born and raised
in Skidegate here.

Been playing

and a member
of the Skidegate Saints

Junior
all the way through present day.

Over the years,

I've been basically
the team treasurer,

also involved
with the Juniors,

15 years as Assistant Coach
and Manager.

In regards to playing,

do a lot of the dirty work,

whatever's required
for us to succeed,

whether that's starting,

coming off the bench,
defense,

taking charges...

I put my body
on the line a lot.

The next generation,

that's who
they're looking up to,

that's what
they're looking at next, so...

when I play, I play hard,

and I do whatever it takes
to try and win.

The All-Native Tournament
is modern-day warfare.

We're a bunch of
different nations going in...

going to battle

for the ultimate goal
of being the champion, and...

Yeah. It's modern-day warfare.

The Haidas
are a bad-ass group of people.

We were renowned traders
and master artists,

but also feared warriors

that would battle
with our neighbours

up and down the coast.

There was tales of the women
fighting alongside the men,

just as fierce.

That's our reputation

in the historical sense.

I think in the modern context,

we have more of the reputation
of winning championships.

At the All-Native,
you know, we grew up

watching Hydaburg
and their dynasty.

They've had
successive generations of talent

come together to maintain
a championship culture,

and for this generation
of the Saints,

we were shaped and inspired
by the Old Massett teams.

We've inherited a standard,
a responsibility,

of making sure the Haida Nation
was at the top

in bringing home championships.

50-some championships

over 50-some years...

...but last year,

the All-Native
Basketball Tournament,

everybody watched
this Burnaby team come in,

and Burnaby
was running through everybody.

They were just
slaughtering everybody.

Making it
look easy out there right now.

I mean,
the drama going into this,

this was this juggernaut
Burnaby squad,

this club team, right?

So the politics
of the tournament,

club teams
are from the cities

that are comprised of players

from all the nations
that can't be at home,

but the contention is,

is it could be construed
as an all-star team.

Burnaby
is running away with it

here in the first half.

Skidegate's known

as kinda like
that authentic village team,

like, they don't
bring in anybody.

They're literally
all from Skidegate.

2023 Championship banner

is gonna either go back
to Haida Gwaii

or down south.

We'll see what happens here.

And everybody just thought,

"Maybe this is it.
Maybe this is the end."

Everybody
back in Haida Gwaii, get ready.

Your, uh, Saints
have hit the floor.

Nice to see Desi,

because he had been
suffering injuries.

And if you look at them now,

I mean, the dynamic
of the Skidegate Saints...

now is that they're all coaches.

Right? So Desi, Duane, Gaagwiis,

they literally
coach the Junior programs.

Right now, the momentum
in Burnaby's favour, Pete.

Everybody who chalked it up,

they said Burnaby's gonna just
walk away with the tournament.

Burnaby's huge. They're young.

The crowd
is getting amped up here.

There's a battle on our hands.

There's something
in my gut telling me

that if anyone
is gonna beat them,

it's gonna be the Saints,

who seem to step up
in these big moments,

especially 'cause it's the finals.

Over Battle, oh!

They clicked a tough shot
over Ronnie Battle.

They physically
should've lost that game,

but, of course,
that didn't happen.

It's a three-pointer.
Long pass.

Desi, nice pass to Jason Alsop!

They're just smart.

They're smart
basketball players.

Skidegate,
your 2023 All-Native Champions!

That's one of
the most impressive finals

I've seen in long time, Pete.

Burnaby, the heavy favourite,

and Skidegate pulling it off.

They're,
by far, I think,

one of the oldest Senior teams
in Indigenous basketball.

You know, we can play
really smart basketball,

but it's just
when you look at athleticism,

being young
makes a big difference.

Hello!

Like, we're getting
quite up there, right?

And I just don't know,
do you know what I mean?

Um, how much long
we can sustain,

do you know what I mean,
something like that.

And don't get me wrong,
do you know what I mean?

We, I, you know,
I feel like we can do it

for, you know,
quite some time...

'cause my spirit's
always the same.

Like, the spirit inside of me
is always the same.

But my body...

just like
the rest of our bodies,

they don't enact
that same way, right?

Once you win

and that becomes
the expectation,

it shifts from exciting

to... a responsibility.

It becomes,

"Okay, now everybody's
after you,"

and then you have to be
even better,

and you have to be
even more prepared.

Sometimes you're, like,
"Well, why do we do all this?"

You know, practicing at night,
at 9:00 till 11:00.

You have to look after yourself,
look after your body,

to try to be in shape.

We can't play forever.

We're sort of holding space

and waiting to hand off

to this next generation
that is coming up,

so they can continue
to build onto that legacy.

Their peak has been hit.

Even if they win,

you know, one, two, three
more championships,

which they could totally do,

for a lot of those guys,
you know,

they're gonna be seeing
younger guys come up

and kind of take their spot,

and we're not even
talking about...

I haven't even brought up
Jesse Barnes yet.

Oh, God!
Okay, now we're talking.

Yeah. Jesse Barnes.
Oh, my god...

He's untouchable!

Jesse Barnes is
arguably the most dominant force

to come out of Skidegate ever.

Jesse being so athletic,

and, you know,
he has so much skill.

Heart is something
you can't teach, right?

He's gone and played D1.

He's played Canadian basketball.

He is a source of pride.

The kid's 6'10".

He can shoot,
he can dribble, he can pass...

and he was born and raised
on the Rez.

He's one of us.

Uh, so my name's Jesse Barnes.

I am 26 years old.

I am from here in Skidegate.

I got into basketball
when I was about 12...

12 years old.

I was always taller
than everybody,

but I was kinda the guy
who would just stay home

and play video games,

but once my friends
kinda just realized

that, I mean, I'm the tallest
person in the school,

maybe I should go
try this thing out,

and, uh...

I've kinda been
hooked ever since.

Growing up at
the George Brown there,

watching Desi, Duane, Jason,

I was, like, "Okay,
I wanna hoop like these guys."

Desi was my coach all
throughout high school, so...

and then I ended up
down in the States,

played there
for a couple years,

and then I finished my career
at Brock University,

and now I'm currently
living in Vancouver

with Tyler and Kole,

and we're all
from Skidegate here.

I mean, Skidegate,
and Haida basketball in general,

kinda just has
this culture of winning

that has been going on
for countless years now,

and I just kind of want
to be able to kind of help

contribute
to keeping that going, so...

And, uh, I guess
one last thing here,

so tell us about

what you're looking
forward to at the All-Native.

All-Native? Um...

I actually don't know
who I'm playing with yet, but...

Oh. Still on the fence?

On the fence right now.

Oh...

the Jesse Barnes
rumour, huh?

Yeah, I heard that last week.

Jesse Barnes? Yeah.
You know, he's...

our best player.

There's, yeah, rumours

that he might not
play with us.

Talk more about that.

I don't know if I want to.

Me and Kole and Tyler

have been playing
in a league down in Vancouver.

We, uh, might play for Burnaby
for the All-Native.

People have been saying, like,

we shouldn't be playing
for a club team,

because we have
a village team to play for.

I mean, it's his choice.
It's his choice.

If he chooses to play
for somebody else...

he might get
a little bit of flak,

but I'm hoping no hatred.

But, uh, he hasn't
given us a straight answer

one way or the other.

{Desi) Ah, it's a little
bit frustrating for me.

I feel like swearing,

and I feel like saying
a few other things.

Yeah, I have
a real tough time with that.

They grew up here
as village boys.

Like, I've seen them,
do you know what I mean?

...catch octopus, you know,
bigger than them, right?

I've seen them catch naw
bigger than them, right?

I know that they spend
a lot of time on the beach.

They spend
a lot of time at the gym.

They love to rip and dip,
as they call it,

where we'd play basketball,

and we'd run down the beach
and go for a swim

on hot summer days, right?

Like, we enjoyed
doing those things.

Bringing back players

that you've mentored,
you've coached,

it's super important
to me, right?

There is a decision,
do you know what I mean,

that needs to be made,
I guess,

by Jesse Barnes,
and Tyler and Kole,

and for myself, I understand...

I've moved away
and went to the city

and did all these
different things,

and you kind of lose sight
of who you are,

and you kind of forget about
the important things in life,

especially
when you're young.

I spent my time
in the city going to...

you know, finished high school,
going to college and whatnot.

We still came up
for Junior All-Native,

uh, as the Saints,

but at a certain point,
it is just like,

"What am I doing here?
This isn't where I belong."

Decided I had enough,
and I came home.

We are blessed.

We're lucky to be
part of this community,

this nation, this island,

where I think we all
really are connected,

we do care about each other.

In the context
of Haida culture...

you know, basketball
is more than just a sport.

Basketball's
a bit of a bridge...

...from the present...

...into the past.

Before the Europeans came,

there was a SGaaga.

In Western world,

it might be referred to
as "shaman," hey?

A spiritual
and medicinal practitioner

who had a supernatural being
speak through them.

And they said that
these new people would come,

and there'd be some good,

but there'd be
an awful lot of bad,

and this pestilence
would come.

Then it is said

there was a smallpox epidemic...

...hitting villages
all over Haida Gwaii.

We're dying so rapidly,

we don't have time to mourn
the ones that are dying.

Some clans
were down to two people.

Some clans
completely disappeared.

The stories say
that the smallpox was so thick

that you could see it
in the air,

and that's what this painting's
trying to tell us.

And there's old stories
of Haidas paddling,

do you know what I mean,
trying to go ashore a village.

They're visibly sick,

and their canoe
is pushed out to shore.

And there's stories
of them listening to us

singing into the night
as we died.

If you look at photos
of Skidegate in 1884,

it looks like
a forest of totem poles,

and ten years later,

it looks like
the forest is mowed down.

By 1915, there was less than
600 Haidas on Haida Gwaii.

That's a pretty drastic drop

from upwards of 50,000
before contact.

The survivors,
all these tiny populations,

moved into Skidegate

and Old Massett.

All our people could go
and find solace

and a place to come together
and survive.

Under the Indian Act of 1876,

the Canadian government
assumed total control

over Canada's
Native People and their lands.

The Indian Act, you know,

trying to determine
who is Haida,

who belongs in the community,

caused a lot of pain and trauma

for many people
who were not recognized

as Status Indians,

so they weren't allowed
to live in Skidegate

or Old Massett, on the Reserve.

They had to live
outside of the community.

And then, in July of 1884,

this nation-state of Canada

amends their Indian Act

to include what we refer to
as the Potlatch Ban.

Potlatch functions

included political councils,

spiritual occasions,

medicine-making,

and the sharing
of tribal wealth.

It's a critical part
of our social, economic,

spiritual health
and ways of being.

That's our system.

Attendance
at potlatch ceremonies

became a criminal offense.

As recently as 1951,
violators were jailed.

So, between 1885,
when they enacted it,

and 1951,

it was illegal for us
to, essentially, be Haida.

The abolishment of potlatch

was separating us
from our culture,

separating us from each other.

"Just keep them apart.

If they gather,

they're gonna
be able to do something."

It was in the early 1880s

that Canada and the Church
officially joined together

to form
the Residential School system...

...taking children away
from their communities

and bringing them
to foreign boarding schools,

Residential Schools.

You have culture
being abolished,

and language being abolished,

and just your character
being abolished.

How we dressed, how we walked,
how we talked,

everything around that,
do you know what I mean,

was taken away.

We couldn't wear
our long hairstyle.

We couldn't. Right?

Like, they're cutting
your ponytail off

because it wasn't,
do you know what I mean,

fit to how a men's cut
should look.

Right? It wasn't fit.

But I think
it's majestic as fuck.

To the absolute core
of who you are,

they tried to destroy
and remove...

...but they didn't succeed.

I went to Residential School
in 1959,

and that's actually where
I started playing basketball.

Well,
I went to Residential School

in Edmonton,

but prior to that, I had never
heard of the game of basketball.

In summertime,

we'd come home
and get together.

We'd practice wherever we could.

We didn't have
any basketball court

here in Skidegate.

We used to hone our skills
there, out on the...

out on the road.

That's it.

That gravel road. Yeah.

That's how basketball
was introduced here,

on Haida Gwaii.

From guys who had gone
away to Residential School.

Learned how to play
a little bit of basketball,

which is quite a bit different
than the way they play now.

Not like when we were kids,

we could only dribble forward.

We couldn't get fancy
or anything.

Behind the back...
crossover dribbles.

Like, "why didn't I do that?"

Nobody dunked the ball
back then.

Your jacket.

Warm up.

This was the first, uh,
uniforms we got.

The ladies in Skidegate
embroidered them.

Bit of work to do that,
I guess. Holy!

We went to the All-Native,

so we got the fans here
all excited too.

Made it to the final,
lost by three points.

When we got home,

we got off the plane
and on the water taxi.

They put us on
the garbage truck,

and Percy Williams
and a couple of other bands

were playing "When the Saints,"
so it was...

quite, quite cool.

Knowing that we were the first
official basketball team...

yeah, makes you feel
good sometimes.

Yeah.

The original Saints,

but we didn't do
anything special.

We just played basketball.

It's something
that I think has been used

as a healing mechanism
over time,

something that was good

that was brought away
from something bad.

You know,
as Indigenous people,

we still hold
a lot of hurt from the past.

We still...
think about it often.

We still have
those intergenerational traumas.

And a lot of the healing
comes from gathering.

People were gathering

and finding ways around
these gathering rules

through disguising it
under Christianity.

You know, you were
allowed to gather

for religious purposes.

Sport was another avenue
where you could gather

that wasn't church-centric.

I think with the games,

they also were, um,

allowed to have people watch,

so now, they had circumvented

this rule
that was in the Indian Act,

and they had ten-plus people
playing a game,

and people watching, so...

they found a loophole,
but they got really good at it.

Basketball provides

such an entry point
into our history,

who you are,
that resilience,

and all these layers
of identity,

clan, village,
you know, nation.

We don't grow up
thinking about it,

or maybe appreciating it,

but, you know,
as you get older,

you kind of see
the powerful tool that it is

to be part of that resilience
in our time.

We want to honour

all our loved ones
that have gone

in the last year.

As we sing the Spirit Song,

again, for all our loved ones

that we've lost
in the last year,

but all of our ancestors
that we have lost.

We're battling against

a lot of different
outside pressures

to, you know,
get away from the Indian Act,

and get away from
all these colonial pressures,

and just really let
our communities do

what they do best...

and that's
just play basketball.

I host about
four or five tournaments a year.

I think this year,
I hosted five.

For me, and I've been
doing this for a long time,

over 10 years, 15 years here
at the recreation centre,

this specific tournament,

the Clan Tournament,

captures the essence of, uh...

of self-expression
around culture and pride.

It's a month
before the All-Native.

Um, everybody looks forward
to it to kick off the year,

and some people will argue
that this tournament

is better
than the All Native, right?

One, two, three, go!

You know, when smallpox hit,

we all came to Skidegate,

and we all came to Massett,
and we all came to Hydaburg

out of a survival mechanism, right?

So it's all different clans
coming to represent,

like, a unity thing, right?

Where out of survival mechanism,
we came to Skidegate.

Right? And that was just
out of pure survival.

And then,
when you go back to your clan,

when you go
and play for your village,

that's where you came from.

Wow!

Oh, that's, they're calling
that an intentional foul.

Wiija, what do you
think about that?

I mean, all fouls
are kind of intentional, but...

I got it. I got it.

Game on. Go ahead, came on.

The Clan Tournament

expresses the most
of who an individual is, right?

They'll come in,
they'll wear their colour,

they'll say who they are.

They'll let you know
their Haida name,

let you know their clan,
they'll let you know

if they're a Raven
or an Eagle.

But always going back
to who your grandmother is,

or who your chinaay is,
or your nanaay,

or whatever it is.

Swing it down to Maya
under the hoop,

two points.

During our clan tournament,

the George Brown
Recreation Centre comes alive.

You represent yourself.

You represent your family.

You represent your chief

and your matriarchs
and your clan.

You're a representative
of an entire group

of who you are.

Just wanting
our girls to have a place

in the basketball community

was really important to me,

for them to see
that they could be held up,

you know,
like our boys are held up.

It's beautiful,
and it's healing,

and it's... it's empowering.

We talk our language,

we have our culture
through song and dance,

and it just reinvigorates

our Haida-ness,
as we call it.

You know, especially with
the trauma that people carry,

and intergenerational trauma,

you need these outlets
where you can let that out,

to be vulnerable,

to be physical,

to be emotional,

and in basketball,
you get to do all that.

One of the beauties
of the Clan Tournament

is food, hey?

Yeah.

Oh, there's always
so much food.

If you don't wanna
cook at home,

we got lots of food that helps
go to the basketball community.

Yeah, look at that.

- That's right.
- Yeah, that's the shot!

That's fry bread.
That's fry bread on that.

Ooh! Look at that oil sizzle!

- Fry bread?
- Fry bread!

- I want some fry bread!
- Fry bread.

Fry bread!

I got fry bread in my mouth.
We all got fry bread!

Hold it up. Hold up.

Somebody's missing
their cell phone?

Not mine.

Everybody knows what happens

when that comes up!

Is there a picture on it?

Oh...

this young man
has a debt to pay!

And you guys know
how this works.

He has to dance for it.

You guys decide
when he gets it back.

You know,
the wintertime, traditionally,

would be potlatch season,

and, um...

clans would host
feasts and potlatch,

and so, um,
the basketball season,

you know, kind of naturally
follows that cycle.

You know, it's really easy
to stay isolated, and...

and, um, kinda hibernate
through the winter,

but by coming together
in potlatch and ceremony,

it brings everybody together
into one house,

and basketball
plays a similar role.

Fry bread action!

But, as I've grown older,

you come to appreciate
the, um, the event that it is.

You're part of an event,
and you wanna win,

but really, you know,
our main objective

over the last number of years

has been recognizing

that we need to make sure
our nephew, Levi,

was gonna play an important role
and help lead us.

We need to get
the next generation ready,

'cause we can't
maybe carry the load

that we do right now.

I'm trying
to follow, follow their lead.

Like, I'm following
Duane and Jason's role,

and it definitely makes me
feel really good,

like, knowing
that I have support

from this big family,

and they all want me
to do my best.

Our nanaay,
our grandmother,

her kidney had been failing.

She had to get medevaced out
in September.

Her kidney function
started to decline to the point

where, um, she needed
to go off to Prince George

for dialysis treatment.

We knew this day was coming,

but it was still, you know,
became a bit of an emergency,

where we had to fly her
out of here,

and we're in the hospital,

and they're putting her
in an ambulance,

and we're all saying goodbye,

you know, maybe we won't
see her again,

we're not, you never know.

And then, uh,
Levi comes in late,

and she's in the...
they're putting her in the back,

getting her ready,
and she's, like, "Levi.

Come over here."

She pulled me into her,
and she goes,

"Don't let Skedans
win the Clan Tournament,"

and then she's like,

"Don't let anyone else win.
You guys have to win."

"You guys make sure
you win the Clan Tournament!"

I wanted to win it for,

for specifically my nanaay
and, of course, for the clan.

I'm sure Duane and Jason were
carrying that with them as well,

and I especially was,

and we were
in a pretty bad spot,

we were down five with, like,
a couple minutes to go.

Like, the momentum
was against us,

and we were gassed,
and I was personally gassed.

All right, everybody,

welcome back to our final game
of the 2024 Clan Tournament.

Levi puts the ball down.

Nice drive by Levi,
but he can't finish.

The ball bounces around.

Barnes picks it up.

In that final
game there, we're, uh...

struggling a bit
in the fourth quarter, and...

Denver dribbles
the ball off his foot.

Levi picks it up.

I picked it up,
and as soon as I let it go,

I was like, "Holy."
It was like a rainbow.

And a long three,
and he nails it!

A huge three by Levi!

71-69!

Just watching
everyone's reaction,

everyone kind of dreams
of moments like those.

But also,
it gave us a pick-up

and a boost of energy,

which was, uh...
really needed.

He makes it!
It's a two-point game!

...to Collison.
Collison loses the ball.

Inside, Isaiah goes up. Oh!

Ts'aahl Eagles!

2024 Clan Tournament Champions!

I only have a certain amount.

We're giving it
to the team members.

Large?

Large.

Large? Mediums. Is that it?

The Clan Tournament's
always fun.

Everyone always wants
to see their clan winning.

We're all Haidas,
so we all have hot blood,

and everyone just
is really competitive,

and we knew
we had to win, so...

otherwise,
you would have been mad.

So it was nice
to come up with that win.

I was so happy
when I came home

and, uh, this shirt
as waiting for me.

The Clan Tournament one?

Yeah.

Yeah, it was... yeah.

I'm just so proud
of you, my boy.

Made me feel stronger.

My body's waking up.

Screaming around.

Yeah, I don't know,

I'm just hoping
the next generation,

or this group of guys

can keep inspiring
the generation

like Duane and Desi
and Nate and Jesse,

and all those guys have
inspired us,

just to keep going.

I think that's how
Haida basketball stays alive,

is we just have,

we just keep having great groups
of players and people.

Yeah.

I love you, Nanaay.

Oh, you are my boy.

That's good.

I'm a... I'm a hugger, anyway.

It's a legacy,
it's a dynasty

that you're a part of.

Why do you wanna take,

Why do you wanna try
and take us down?

Why don't you want
to keep adding to it?

I don't know, it's just

a young squad
of fucking young Natives

living in Van.

Oh, look at this, you're here
representing your clan.

It must mean something to you.

How does it not
mean something to you

to play for your hometown
for the tournament?

I don't know.

So, you're serious.

You're really
not gonna play with us.

Just for one year, yeah.

Well, who else you got?
Like...

Like me, Marlon, Kobe...

uh, Kole, Tyler.
Fucking... TK.

We're also fucking
worried about getting hurt.

Like, fuck,
we're at the end of our career.

We gotta play 40 minutes now
and bang against you? Fuck.

So what was happening there?
Jesse was what?

Oh, I was just grilling him
about his decision, and...

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

His mind's fuckin'...

I was just asking him on it,
'cause I thought...

I still thought
he's just messing with us,

at the end,
he was gonna come through.

Yeah, and he's
still trying to...

I guess the Jones boys
are in too, then, for sure.

Personally,
I think that is

a very bad choice
on his behalf.

To not play for your hometown

and the community
that has been there

and supported you
throughout your entire life?

Doesn't matter where I live,

I'll always come home
to play for my hometown.

I'm not gonna play
for anybody else.

Like, this is me,
this is who I am.

Maybe we didn't do
a good enough job communicating

and have them understand
what it means to us

to have that support.

Maybe there's
a personal challenge

to wanna beat us,

or whatever he needed
for his growth,

whatever that is, you know,
that's his journey.

No matter where you go in life,

whether you move to the city
or anywhere in the world,

I guess, like,
you still have those...

those village-boy tendencies.

Like, they say you, uh...

uh, what's that saying,
where they say you can...?

You can take you a kid
out of the Rez,

but you can't take the Rez
out of the kid.

Exactly. Exactly. So...

I think we're all,

even though we're living
in the city right now,

we're all still
village boys at heart.

Growing up in
Haida Gwaii, like, there's not...

at one point, you wanna leave,
you know what I mean?

At some point,
it becomes a little bit dull.

You wanna go see the world,
see what the world has to offer,

so, it's good to, you know,
have a little...

little group of you
that can even get together

once or twice a week,
three times a week,

play basketball,
and get to know other people.

So even if you guys
are in the paint,

trying to post up,

you're trying to get middle.

Once you're through here,
you're cut off...

I wanna help these guys
win a championship,

these guys that I've developed
a relationship with

over the past year,

and prove to ourselves, like,
how good we've got.

You see them winning, so you
wanna follow in their footsteps,

you want to push yourself
to become what they are

or do better.

My body's
definitely feeling it.

My spirit's
feeling it a little bit too.

On Haida Gwaii
in the wintertime,

I take winter plunges.

Haidas been doing that
since time immemorial...

...for that shock aspect
and reset aspect

to my mental game
and my spirit.

It's probably
one of the toughest moments...

...'cause it's so cold,

but what's gonna
hurt more than this?

I already know

that I've been through
something tougher...

'cause I already know the pain.

If you're afraid,
then you're gonna be afraid.

That was tough.

Like, it is what it is,

and I am not really
afraid of much.

Do you know what I mean?

Like, in my life,
I'm not very afraid of anything,

to tell you
the truth, right? So...

- What about snakes?
- Pardon me?

- What about snakes?
- Fuck them.

But you get what
I'm saying, right?

Like, us as Haida people

were almost wiped out
from smallpox...

...and then you move
into Residential Schools,

a lot of our youth
being plucked out

from here in Skidegate.

Sometimes I just pull in here
and I'll just sit here,

you know what I mean,
and I'll just reflect...

on all of the good times

and everything
that we've been through,

to where we are now.

And not only as an individual,
but as a village.

You know what I mean?
And as the nation.

Haida Nation,
the Haida people,

were never defeated in war,

never signed a treaty,

never ceded
or surrendered our land.

Our position's
remained the same

since, you know,

BC created a colony here,

and then created BC,
and then joined Canada.

We had never given up
our inheritance,

which is Haida Gwaii
and the surrounding waters.

This was the reason

our people
started our own government

and created
the Council of the Haida Nation,

was to deal
with the land question,

which, you know,
is called Haida Title

or Haida Aboriginal Title.

Athlii Gwaii
is one of our pivotal moments.

It is a contemporary Haida story

of standing up
for our title.

Our people thought
we had deferred the logging

in this really heavy-hit area,

but then the province
changed their mind.

Meantime, our Council
of the Haida Nations forming,

because it's just terrifying

to see what's going on
with our islands.

They tried every avenue

to reason with Canada
and the province

to not log like that,

but it didn't work.

It did bring
the Haida Nation together.

Our people knew
we had to stop it ourselves.

We had to believe in ourselves,

in our culture,
in our Haida ways.

We decided that we were
gonna protect Athlii Gwaii

and stop this crazy logging.

The Haidas call it
their homeland,

but Western Forest Products

has been given a license
to log on the island.

It was
an opportunity to really examine

this dynamic of corporate greed
and government policy.

The logging contractor

tried to get the Haidas
to move off a road today

so his trucks
could get through,

but the Haidas
wouldn't budge.

We're not gonna
change our mind.

Our responsibility
is Haida Gwaii.

The Haidas have chosen a site

for a permanent camp
on the island.

They're planning to stay as
long as the loggers are there.

And we're taught,
through Haida ways of being,

how you have to be
respectful, hey?

The world was watching.

Early this morning,

their backs to the loggers,

the Haida block
the logging road,

certain they have a moral right
to stop the loggers.

The conflict

is not between

the Haida Nation
and the logger.

This is really

a government-to-government
conflict

that their laws,
their policies,

are what has
caused this situation.

Everybody's caught up
in the middle of it.

The Haidas say

they have Aboriginal title
to the land

and want to keep it.

There were 72 arrests.

In the words of one woman,

she said she did it

because the need in her soul
to protect her land

happened to be stronger
than his law...

and that's where
BC's Chief Justice disagreed.

He said he could decide

only whether the Haida
had broken the law,

not whether they had
a valid land claim.

The people here, as you see,

are very well disciplined
in what they're going to do.

They had to be disciplined

to put up all this
in such a short time.

When we went to Lyell Island
for the blockade,

we didn't have
a chance to train.

Nobody was ready
to go the All-Native,

so we put together
the Nation team.

Well, we're about set to go.

A minute and a half away
from the beginning of the game,

the 28th Annual All-Native
Basketball Tournament.

Once upon a time,

we had the Haida Nation team,

which brought players together

from Skidegate,
Massett, and Hydaburg.

...the Haida Nation,
coached by Arnold Bellis.

At the same time,
we were trying to formulate

a constitution
for the Haida Nation,

and what basketball did

is put villages
in the stands together,

cheering for the same team,

and that made a big difference
in the politics.

The Haida Gwaii have won
their first championship!

When you get into basketball,

you learn how to organize,
you learn how to communicate,

you learn how to function, eh,
as a bigger unit.

At one point,

all the leadership
on the BC Coast

come from basketball,

the background of basketball.

Basketball and sport,

it brings people together.

No matter what happens,
it just brings us together.

We did find a way
to eventually work with Canada

in creating Gwaii Haanas
as a protected area.

Ottawa and British Columbia
signed the deal

that formally declares
the South Moresby region

a National Park Reserve.

For the first time
in about the last hundred years,

the Haida Nation
and the Government of Canada

and the Government
of British Columbia

have agreed

that a very significant area
in our homelands

is to be left intact.

There's 51% of the island

that's been protected
without recognition of title

by the governments,

that our people
didn't just sit back and wait,

they made those things happen.

The story doesn't end

with Athlii Gwaii
and Gwaii Haanas,

but it sure showed Canada
and the province

that we're not gonna
change our mind.

Working
with the governments requires

you know, them recognizing
this is our land.

The Council of Haida Nation
has had to take to the courts.

We have an active
Haida Title case,

um, litigation going on,

so as the president,
my job is to move that forward.

This has been
an ongoing issue for us

for the past 50 years,

and within the last few years,
it's regained huge momentum.

You know, this year
is the 50th year

since the Council
of the Haida Nation

was formed.

Since I became President,
we set our sights

on looking
to take the title case

and sit at the table

to try to settle what we can
with BC and Canada...

and in the last
number of months,

just with BC, move forward

and take this big step together
as the Haida Nation.

Desi is
on the Council of Haida Nation

as a Skidegate rep.

You know,
Gaagwiis is our president.

That's not a fun job.

You have this
very important responsibility,

at times,
a heavy responsibility.

We're moving the nation forward,
running the nation, um...

you know, making sure
the Saints are strong,

and the basketball
side of things and...

...in terms of basketball,

can sometimes seem
like a silly game

of putting
the ball in the hoop...

...but, you know, here,

we're representing
your community

and your nation.

Every day,
you go to the grocery store,

or you go
to the gas station,

or you're around town,
you know,

people ask you, "Are you guys
ready for the All-Native?

You gonna win?
How are you gonna do?"

And so, you know, you might not
be thinking about it yourself,

but there's
almost daily reminders

of this thing that we're part of
that's bigger than us.

Like, I'm representing
the Haida Nation

in whatever it is that I do,

but we don't know what's gonna
happen at the All-Native.

I feel like, um...

you know,
we obviously wanna win,

and we obviously
want to be successful

in the way that we win.

But it's coming up quick.

Guys are actually
set to head off

on the ferry tonight,

um... the goal to, uh,
get to that mountaintop.

Basketball is a passion,

it's a hobby.

It's almost like
a job at times, but...

I got kids.

Not that high!

When I play,
I play hard,

and I put everything
on the line,

and do whatever it takes
to try and win.

"Is it still worth it for me,
at this point,

to continue to do that?"

is the biggest question,
I guess.

You know, "Where am I at
with everything?"

I'm heading up
to the truck!

I need to be there for my kids
at the end of the day,

and that's what's
most important, family.

So...

Ladies and gentlemen...

boys and girls...

basketball fans
from around the world,

welcome to the 64th Annual

All-Native
Basketball Tournament!

Your Skidegate Intermediates.

The Skidegate Senior Men.

Oh, he was dancing around.

"I know you.
I know your grandparents.

You guys are Haida Gwaii.
Let's go!"

"Fine. Fuck.
Okay, I'll dance."

I'll tell you, uh...

I should've, uh, I should've
danced a little bit more,

'cause, uh, you know,
as soon as I danced,

you know what I mean,
and then the second dance,

the second time they told me
to dance, I'm, like,

"Damn. Yeah, I'm feeling good,"
like, you know what I mean?

And it was just the beat,
do you know what I mean,

capturing the essence,
do you know what I mean,

of my spirit, I guess,
at the end of the day, right?

And that's what
you're feeling here, right?

It's the vibe
and it's the spirit,

and things are
being shaken to life.

So, we are
currently on location

in, uh, our home away from home,
in the Crest here,

so you see our manager
and our head coach

are also physio guys,

and they do
a really good job of it

and keep us
in really good, uh, health,

and, uh,
we're getting older, so...

Yeah, we're chilling,
and everyone hangs out.

You know, we're very close.

I wouldn't say
a team, I guess...

well, you could say
we're a team,

but we're more of
a close group of friends.

We're lifelong friendships,

and that, this is why
we are successful

on the basketball court.

So, what's all this?

We were having

a little recruiting
information session.

Had a bunch left over,

so... yeah,
gotta help out the boys.

Forgot your donuts!

Good morning, basketball fans.

We are here at the 64th Annual

All-Native
Basketball Tournament.

We got a good matchup here.

Duane left open for three.
He takes it.

There you go! Jason Alsop
wide open for three.

- Yeah!
- No mistake on that.

Way to go, Des!

Running jumper, no good.

Big board.
Desi comes up with it.

Jason Alsop looking for his

third three
of the first half.

Jay, for his fourth, oh!

Oh, he's on fire.

The Saints move on
to the quarterfinals.

- Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!
- Come on!

He dove right on him!

Really good job.

Playing this morning,
coaching,

and now I'm gonna play
again this evening,

do you know what I mean?

It's a little bit tuckering.

...double screen there.

Oh, gets a bit of an opening.

Tries for the hole,
goes up and under, nice!

And ahead one!

...back the other
way on a one-on-three.

Nice feed to Gamble.
Gamble up for two.

Kitkatla is starting
to find their way offensively.

Bomb!

Fuckin' listen to me
right now.

Bring it to the opposite side
and drive to the hole!

Puts the ball on the four.

Nice passing. Collinson.
At the hole.

Back outside to Jason.

Jason a wide-open three.

Tyler York to Edinger,
the transition.

Desi playing with four fouls.
Bringing his energy.

Over to Duane,
Duane all by himself,

and he nails it!

Skidegate punching their
ticket on to the semifinal.

Oh, fuck, yeah.

Get my hair out of the water.

A lot of the looky-loos
in the Russell Gamble here

wanted to take a look
at this Burnaby squad.

You got Jesse Barnes
and the Jones Brothers.

I mean, come on! Yeah.
- Barnes and the Jones.

Barnes, big, bad move,

wreaking havoc
down in the paint.

- Jones, he puts it up,
- Oh, ho!

I'd say
I'm feeling pretty good.

Feeling pretty confident
right now.

Kole Jones in a drive.

Strong take!
Burnaby in control.

That'll do it.
Final score 110-72.

What a game we have going on.

Saints are always
gonna do their job.

They're always gonna be like
a championship-level team.

I just think we have a team
that could give them a good run.

They got the talent.

They got the heart.

They got the hoopers.

Big rebound there by Jones,

Another offensive ward
by Ty Jones.

What a workhorse.

And that's gonna do it,
I think, though,

as Burnaby punches their ticket
to the finals.

The Kitkatla Warriors versus
the Skidegate Saints here.

Here we go.

Winner of this
going on to take on Burnaby.

Hands off to Desi.
Oh, nice! Ooh.

And gets the hoop.

Yeah, Skidegate on a bit
of a run to finish the first.

Things are starting
to heat up here.

Oh! He gets the hoop!

Go, Saints, go!
Go, Saints, go!

I don't think
I've ever experienced

the atmosphere
like the All-Native.

Driving, and Duane's in it!

Oh! Another charge.

It's just like
a different type of energy.

Having those fans backing you up

and hearing those Native chants
and stuff like that,

I don't think there's
any feeling in the world

that's gonna compare to that.

Wide open, Desi under the hoop,

that'll do... it, folks!

Skidegate going to the final
to play against Burnaby here.

Yeah. Rematch of
that great final last year.

We've played with these guys,

like, all our lives,

so I feel like it's gonna
be kind of awkward at first.

This is kind of like
a must-win year.

I don't think
we'll ever hear the end of it

if we don't win this year.

There any updates on Burnaby?

They're not gonna win.

Last year,
Skidegate won the championship.

You fast-forward to this year,
and here we are again,

but they now have

three very prominent
Skidegate players

that are playing
with Burnaby.

I played with Skidegate for...

every year I played in the All-
Native Basketball Tournament.

This is kinda the first year
I've been away from Haida Gwaii.

Hey! Hey! Hey!

I... I hope so.

That's the game plan.

It's definitely
gonna be different,

playing on the opposite side
this time,

not being the, uh...
not being the good guys.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, well,
we're playing Burnaby.

I walk by and I, you know,

I did have an interaction
with Jesse,

and that's my first interaction
with him this week.

It seems like I run into
everybody at the Crest, though.

Man, I wasn't trying
to get involved.

I didn't even know you're here.
I was just coming up...

I just walked in. That was my...
- Yeah.

Coincidentally, you're here.

That wasn't on purpose.

If it is, Michael,
you can blame Michael.

Yeah.

Hey, let's get a photo
together, for fuck's sakes.

- All right.
- Fuck. Where's my phone?

You take it,
I don't have a phone,

and send it to me.

Fucking... fucker.

You ready?

Three, two...

Mm. Yeah. I don't know.

Like, uh...

they played really well
last night,

um, the young fellas,
do you know what I mean,

from Skidegate,
they played really well, right?

Like...

You know, once I got
onto the court,

and, you know, I seen them,

I was just, like, "Ah, geez.
God, they're just kids."

How's the body feeling
before the game?

It's feeling as good
as it could be,

at this point in time.

Um, you feeling ready?

Oh, I'm always ready. Just old.

How are you feeling, Gaagwiis?

100%. Ready to go.

Been through this before,

so I think we know
what to expect, you know.

40 minutes left to play...

then it's over.

But they're good.

I think
we're gonna hit 'em quick.

And be consistent.

That's all
I'm looking for tonight.

They did get better
from last year.

You know what I mean?

Like, these are young fellas.

They're a good team.

We're the old fellas with a mix
of a little bit of young fellas.

Yeah. I'm gonna
adjust my penis here.

Ah, the Burnaby Chiefs

are better, in some ways...

and maybe they're hungry, too.

I think they thought they were
gonna beat us last year,

so, you know, they're motivated.

That's a lot of
what this is about, right?

There's not many places in life

where you are physically
and spiritually tested

and, um, have to find
that place in yourself.

Duane and J will step it up.

Yeah, we'll see what happens.

For myself, it has
been a little bit tiring.

Coaching two a day, playing,

then coaching two a day
and playing,

but it's gonna end.

There's gonna be 40 minutes,

and I'm gonna be back
to regular life.

It's, like, why not just go hard
for that 40 minutes?

I've already came
this far, right?

Let's play how we play...

...and let's do what we do.

And let's enjoy it.

You know?

Like, not much more
we can do than that...

...so for me, it's, uh...
yeah, let the good times roll.

You know?

Good evening, everybody.

Welcome to the final game

of the 64th Annual All-Native
Basketball Tournament.

The Skidegate Saints looking
to defend their championship

as they go up
against Burnaby again.

The implications of this game
are absolutely insane.

If you don't know
this storyline,

then where have you been?!

It's been the story
of the tournament.

Everybody has been waiting
for this to happen.

You know, we're part of

that Haida legacy
of basketball.

You know, I think
we're just trying to

push it where we can
as long as we can,

and, um...

and so it forces you to...

raise your spirit
in a certain way.

I think the nerves
come with the territory.

You know, you have that
feeling in your stomach, and...

if you don't feel that way,

then you either
don't want it or...

or, uh, you're not ready.

And once the game starts
and the ball is thrown up,

it all goes out the window.

Well, we got it going!

Saints of Skidegate here,
looking to regain their title.

Duane Alsop swings it over.

York has to force up
a tough one.

He gets it! Ty York
opening up the scoring.

Jones... elevating.

High bounce, and it goes in.

Hey!

Wheeling and dealing...

Get there! Get there!

Going to work on the baseline,

spinning, and he gets
that tough bucket to go!

Desi with the hesi.
Back iron, no good.

Four-point lead here
for the Saints.

Duane... for three...

It's Duane!

Let's go!

...thinks about it.

Stolen away there by York.

York running...

Moore, stopping, elevating.

Getting it to go!
It's Tyler York!

Yeah, kind of
just like last year,

Skidegate getting off
to a great start.

- Defense on three!
- One, two, three, defense!

Now an 11-point
lead here for Skidegate.

1:32 to go,
first quarter.

Oh, wow! He almost
broke Marlon's ankle.

- Oh!
- What?

Elevating, it's Kobe,
gets that one to go.

Driving in,
Joel Richardson,

J Rich putting it in! 40-26.

Going into the half.

The defending champions firing!

Whoo!

Really good job.

We just gotta swing it
a little quicker.

We're a little late, like,
fucking late rotating.

We're outrunning them
and outpowering them,

you know what I mean?

So we gotta keep advancing,
you know what I'm saying?

Advancing it. Advancing it.

Let's use the key,
let's get the best shot, okay?

That's 20 minutes.
We got 20 more. We got 20 more.

Just get out
with the get-down!

Like wild salmon.
Keep fucking swimming wild.

Right? We're out of the pen now.

Out of the pen! Whoo!

- Saints on three!
- One, two, three, Saints!

Welcome back, sports fans.

Here we are,
Russell Gamble Gymnasium.

Everybody take
a deep breath with me.

Here we go.
We're gonna inhale.

Three, two, one, inhale.

Hold it. Exhale!

I exhaled too quick.
Darn it.

Here we go.

Kobe... swings it out.

TK wide open.

Ty... Jones, no good!

Rebound.

Barnes... tips it out.

Kobe stepping in...
off the glass!

Another big offensive board
by Ty Jones.

He goes to the hoop.
Clutches and gets it to go!

Ty Jones!

Still a nine-point lead
here for Skidegate.

Momentum seems to be

shifting a little bit here.

Jesse swings it out.

Ty Jones looking
for back-to-back Jacks,

He's got 'em!

All right. here come the Chiefs.

Let's go, now.

Hey, hey, let's kick it
back into action, okay?

What are we?
- Wild!

Let's go. Let's go!

Here we go,
let's pick it up again.

- Defense on three!
- One, two, three, defense!

Glory awaits
for the winner of this game.

Kobe McKnight crossing up.

Going to the lane...
slipping in!

Now York, he's stepping in.

Up off the glass...

and he gets
the tough roll to go!

Tyler York running the floor.
Jones with speed.

Down to Barnes,
he puts it in!

2:30 to go here
in the third.

Edinger, trying to shake off
his defender.

Stolen away there by Ty Jones.

Down to Barnes.

Great entry pass
in for the big man from Burnaby,

Jesse Barnes,

and we got a tie game

here in the championship game!

Hey, we got 14 points
that quarter!

We need the same shit
right now!

McKnight down to Barnes.

Things picking up here.

The pace is frantic!

Championship on the line.

Speeding into the lane
for a lead.

Oh! That's the lead.
Burnaby.

Ten minutes!

Get up. Let's go.

Right now. Let's go.

Let's go. Saints on three!

One, two, three, Saints!

And here we go.

Drives in, foul.

J Alsop gonna head to the line
for a couple free throws.

That's his first miss
from the line here.

Whoa! 0 for two there.

Saints falling flat here.

Launching... three...

Hitting! Three!

Gets the good roll.

That's a three!

Jones. Kole.

Elevating on the left side,
and he puts it in!

Kole Jones!

Keep playing defense, yo.

- Defense on three!
- One, two, three, defense!

Dig in. Advance the ball. Okay?

- Let's go!
- Let's go, let's go!

York over to Edinger.

Edinger, wide-open lane.
Puts that up and in.

He answers back,
but Saints down 11.

Desi... going to work.

He gets fouled there
by Ty Jones.

You can feel
the nervous energy

here in the Russell Gamble.

Well, you know,
when you win all the time...

...it can happen.

You know what I mean?
You expect to win.

Right? And you can
become content.

It ain't easy being breezy, right?

It's tough being the best.

I just don't know
how much longer

we can sustain
something like that.

Like, it's just tough.

It really boils down

to these final minutes,

they gotta make all of these.

That was up,
he's fouled hard there by Kobe.

Championship on the line.

Step back three.

Kobe bangs it down!

Burnaby just caught fire
here in the fourth!

There's still lots of time!
We can get some threes!

Fucking get some lay-ups, right?
Let's go!

Here come the Saints.

Final minute of the game here.

They need some,
stolen away by Barnes!

Barnes... two!

Time not on the side
of the Saints of Skidegate.

Here comes Burnaby.

Now the Saints
are on the ropes.

Precious seconds here.

Barnes, good on that one.

I think they're just
gonna dribble out.

The Chiefs of Burnaby
came marching in,

and they got the title!

Burnaby, your champions, 2024!

Great performance.

A very deadly roster there.

I mean, they're just loaded
as leading all-scorers.

Descent from the field
for Skidegate,

and, uh,
they come in second place,

so what a tournament,

already, it's a wrap.

Aw, shit, eh, Duane?
Sorry. Fuck.

Dammit!

I don't know
if I can keep doing this.

Yeah.

Oh, fuck!

Well...

Well, well, well.

All right, let's go. Sorry.

Saints on three!

One, two, three, Saints!

Shit.

I guess I taught them well.

Let's go!

Let's go, y'all!

We appreciate you guys.

We love you guys.

Actually, we really appreciate

how hard you guys work.

We're gonna be back, obviously.

Huh, I don't know
who's coming back,

but we'll see.

Yeah. Hey, always love
competing with you.

I love competing against
you guys. Always a good time.

- Love you guys.
- Love you too.

Number two in the tournament,
number one in the hearts!

Yeah!

Skidegate!

It feels amazing, man.

Any time, any time you can win
the All-Native Tournament,

it's a great feeling,

especially because it's one of
the hardest tournaments to win,

I feel like,
and it just feels amazing.

Yeah, for me,
it's, uh...

you know,
when I look at basketball...

that's the goal,

to win games
and to win championships.

Like, when you can win
together as a team,

and you can move together
as a team,

it's, you know,
there's no feeling like that.

You feel like you're levitating.

That's the most freeing
feeling for me.

Feel free as a bird.

Catch the raven.

But, you know,
that's gonna come and go.

That's the truth, right?

Like, you're gonna
experience that in life,

because it is a give-take
situation, right?

The tide's coming up,
the tide's going down.

The experience along the way,

the road along the way
is the real experience.

'Cause...

Ah, shit, like...

how can I explain this
in the best possible way?

But...

I-I don't know.
I'm just trying...

I'm...

I'm just trying to be able
to, you know,

to learn, myself, best I can,

in order to...
to give back best I can.

You know,
it is always disappointing

to not rise to the occasion

and step up
for what the team needs.

You know, I didn't play
as well as I could.

I didn't get my shots off.

Maybe I didn't quite have
enough emotional energy left

at that point,

all of the, you know,
the political...

responsibilities.

I'm happy for Jesse
and Kole and Tyler.

They showed their spirit.

They showed
what they're made of.

Maybe it did take
playing against us to do that,

to get that challenge,
to have that bar,

and in the end,
it's a beautiful thing to see,

you know, even if
it's at our expense.

Despite what happens,

we still trust each other,
we still love each other,

we still respect each other,

you know, how we handle
victory and defeat,

and, um... the show goes on.

Good afternoon!

Thank you for tuning
into tfsetv.ca,

here in the Single "A" Bracket

of the BC Boys' Provincial
Basketball Championship.

I had the opportunity to go down

to the high school
boys' provincials,

be part of the Gidgalang
Kuuyas Naay Breakers,

be assistant coach there
with my brother, Duane,

and with Desi,
the head coach.

All right,
everybody close their eyes

and take a deep breath.

That's one heart.
One breath.

One heart, one breath.

The high-school
basketball team

was 60% Haidas
and was 40% mix.

So you've got Haidas

and you've got our Canadian
neighbours together,

playing together.

It's just
a tiny little school,

and whoever wants
to show up to play ball

gets to play.

It's not like they cut anybody,

'cause there's no one to...
there's not enough kids,

so it's pretty remarkable
how well they do.

...in the right spot
at the right time!

He goes to his left. No!

Rebounded by Laughlin.

That three is good!

To the floor without losing
any kind of steam!

The three, it's good!

Hard! Hard!

Gaagwiis and Duane and Desi,

they take it seriously.

They've been
role models to everyone.

They really show us what it is
to be a Haida warrior.

Them having our backs,
and always being there for us,

it's just so awesome.

Nobody expected us
to go as far as we did.

We really shocked everyone.

Woo! Do you believe?

Gidgalang Kuuyas Naay
is going to the finals!

♪ Oh... ♪

♪ Who wants to smoke with me? ♪

♪ Who wants to smoke
with me? ♪

♪ Who wants to smoke with me? ♪

♪ Yo! ♪

- ♪ Who wants to smoke with me? ♪
- ♪ Yo! ♪

♪ Who wants to smoke with me? ♪

- ♪ Yo! ♪
- ♪ Who wants to smoke with me? ♪

This is the first time ever

a boys sports team

from as far away
as Haida Gwaii

has made it
to the Championship Finals.

They'd put Haida Gwaii
on the provincial map,

on the national map.

It was a story that
superseded the tournament.

To see the boys
come together and represent

not just the Haida community,
but the Haida Gwaii community...

One, two, three, Breakers!

You need each other.

You need everybody to chip in
and do their part.

It was special
to be a part of it.

Now, at this time,

we ask you all to please rise
and remove your hats

for the national anthems.

They surprised us all
by having Donnie Edenshaw,

this really good singer,
recorded the national anthem,

so they're all there,
arms around each other...

It was played in a context

that was cross-cultural,

to sing our anthem with pride
and joy and happiness

and full understanding

of how cool and beautiful it is
to be from here.

By the time, you know,
the game started,

I was, like, "We won."

We were stars one day,

and we will keep playing,

and people still have
a lot of respect for us,

but now we see, you know,
Levi and Temo are the...

they're the stars now.

They're the next legacy
that's coming up

to carry the torch,

and I think that's fabulous.

Inspiring a new generation...

what more could you ask for?

One, two, three, Breakers!

What they accomplished

is probably more rewarding
and more of what it's about

for me, at this point.

They didn't win,
but the pride and the respect,

and everything
that came out of that,

it just shows what it means
when you really play

for something
that's bigger than yourself.

They were doing it together,

and that captures
the essence of Haida Gwaii,

of how First Nations,
Haidas, and non-Haidas

have to co-exist
and work together

for a common goal.

An historic agreement

has been signed

in the community
of Skidegate on Haida Gwaii.

The first-of-its-kind deal

shifts ownership
jurisdiction of land

from the Crown
to the Haida Nation.

Negotiations have been ongoing

for more than 20 years.

That work is being done

negotiating,

and sitting at the table
and in court,

continuing that journey
of looking after things here

for now
and for future generations.

The Haida Nation
and the province,

we have reached
a Haida Title Lands Agreement.

On a table
strewn with cedar boughs,

Haida leaders
and government officials

sign a ground-breaking
land agreement

called "Rising Tide."

Politically,

the Province
of British Columbia

is prepared to recognize
Haida Aboriginal Title

to all the land
that BC has tried to claim...

Which means that,

you know, this concept
of Crown Land

that the government
has imposed,

it no longer would exist
on Haida Gwaii.

Today, we are
creating a new story

in our history here...

and it lays the foundation

for a future together

where we can
acknowledge the truth,

acknowledge the history,

but also look forward

to build a brighter future
for the Haida Nation

and the people
of Haida Gwaii,

and provide hope and inspiration

for others across the province
and the country,

and show how our title
could be recognized

and we could carve
a future together

that is good for everybody.

BC Premier David Eby

says this will be

one of the greatest highlights
of his life.

When we introduce this new law

in the Legislative Assembly,

it will be
the first time in Canada

the title is recognized
in this way.

These are huge steps
that we've taken,

and when I say huge steps,
I mean huge steps.

David, are you 6'6", 6'7"ish?

Geesh. You know
we play basketball around here,

there's two hoops
right here, so...

There's something in humans

that you don't just survive
as a person or a people,

they survive as a culture,
as a nationhood, hey?

Identity.

To do it with Desi there,

there at my right hand...

...to have my brother
and the support of the team,

always there to have my back,

we all go through

this experience and journey
and life together,

not just as one team,

but as a nation, as a people
who persevered through so much.

I'm here today
as the President,

Elected President
of the Haida Nation,

with our delegation

of hereditary chiefs,
elected leaders,

past leaders, Haida citizens,

allies of the Haida Nation

who stood with us

to encourage you all
to support this bill,

to support what is right.

The mandate
of our nation's government,

when it was formed,

was title

and recognition of nation
and government.

We all know
Haida Gwaii is Haida land,

has always been,
and will always be.

In this 50th year,

it'll be realized.

Move forward unanimously
together

in passing this bill
as good British Columbians,

for the good of the province,

as good Canadians,

and in the spirit
of this truth

and reconciliation and hope,

be part of making things right

in this province
and in this country.

Háw'aa.
Thank you for listening.

How can you not
dedicate your life...

...to your people and your home,

when you know that's what
your ancestors did for you?

How can you not dedicate
your life to Haida Gwaii?

When the tide's coming up,

you ask it for something.

When it's going down,
do you know what I mean,

you wash your problems away.

It gives a strong essence
of being the village boy.

For me,
the island and the culture,

you know,
shape exactly who I am.

The culture is what's making us
as strong as we are.

And now, the funny thing is,

well, the basketball culture
is the culture,

and it's allowed us to survive
and be who we are today.

Yeah.