A tournament to remember for George Brown Huskies men's volleyball coach Tyler Latuʻila, who led the U20 Men's All Nations team to a five-set victory over the other U20 Men's All Nation squad at the second-ever All Nations Showcase (July 25–28) in Edmonton, Alberta.
The championship run and representation at the All Nations Showcase wouldn't have been possible without an idea sparked by the coach.
"The idea for this event was dreamt up at the 2023 North American Indigenous Games in Halifax. At the time, the New Zealand Men's Volleyball Team happened to be touring Chile, playing a series of matches against the Chilean National Team. Knowing that Aotearoa Māori Poirewa was going strong, I thought "Why couldn't we do a tour with an Indigenous National Team here in Canada?" I took the idea to Gary Lynch from Indigenous Sport & Wellness Ontario, who planted the seed with Jacob Ruest at the Aboriginal Sport Circle. That seed is growing into something more beautiful than I could've imagined," he explained.
For Latuʻila, pushing this idea forward was key to showcasing the high-level talent among U20 and U18 female and male athletes in Indigenous communities.
"There aren't many sporting events where you can see coaches proudly wearing ribbon skirts, moccasins, and toki pounamu (Māori greenstone necklace) alongside athletes honouring their ancestors through movement. You really have to be there to understand," Latu'ila explained. "As a steward of the event and the relationship between us here in Turtle Island and our Māori family in Aotearoa, it's important for me to serve the Kaupapa (purpose) – to connect to our Indigeneity through high performance sport."
Latuʻila hopes that coaching at this event will help Indigenous players feel pride in their heritage.
"I hope that they feel more connected to their culture & spirituality. I hope seeing the Aotearoa Māori athletes express their connection through waiata, haka, and karakia spark ideas to weave culture into sport in Turtle Island," he stated.
Reflecting on the experience as a whole, Latuʻila expressed how welcomed he felt by the Indigenous communities involved in the event.
"It's interesting because although I'm not Aotearoa Māori or Indigenous to Turtle Island, both of those communities have welcomed me with open arms. In my Indigenous language of Tongan, we have a word—mafana—which means warmth, and that's exactly what I've felt from these communities who have embraced me," he explained.
