Ontario is home to more than 133 unique Indigenous communities and many Friendship Centres. The Ontario Indigenous population consists of more than 300,000 people who live on and off-reserve and in urban and rural areas across the province. Within Ontario, there are a number of Indigenous languages spoken, including Ojibwe, Odawa, Cayuga, Mohawk, Michif, Cree, Oji-Cree, and Inuktitut.
The Masters Indigenous Games 2018 will take place in the City of Toronto, which is the traditional territory and homelands of the Mississaugas of the New Credit
First Nation, host community partner of the Masters Indigenous Games 2018. The Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation official language is Anishinaabemowin, Ojibwe language. Ojibwe is the heritage language of more than 200,000 Ojibwe people who reside in the United States and Canada. Ojibwe Country primarily extends from Quebec, across Ontario and Manitoba to Saskatchewan in Canada, and from Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota in the United States. The official logo of the Mississuagas of the New Credit First Nation contains an eagle, three fires, a peace pipe, and a circle. Each element was chosen because it reflects the values and is a symbolic representation of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation. The eagle is the predominant totem of the Mississauguas of the New Credit First Nation and is viewed as a messenger, and the Mississaugas were once considered to be great messengers. The three fires are symbolic of the Mississaugas traditional and political alliance with the Ojibway, Ottawa, and Pottawatomi Nations. The peace pipe is the New Credit people’s equivalent of a Parliamentary mace and is used in special ceremonies to thank the great spirit, mother earth, and the sun. The writing in a circle represents the First Nations teachings that every living thing is related and interconnected and a part of the Circle of Life, and the blue used for the font color symbolizes the interconnectedness to the traditional territories of the Mississuagas of the Credit, the Credit River, and Lake Ontario. The Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation continue to revere water as a spiritual being must be accorded respect and dignity.
Cultural Village
Immerse yourself in a spectacular showcase of Indigenous culture with the Masters Indigenous Games 2018 cultural village. Located in Downsview Park, the village will be within walking distance of a majority of the sporting venues in an open, beautiful area. The village will offer a celebration of cultural experiences through workshops, storytelling, and interactive performances. There will also be daily demonstrations of various traditional games. After the demonstrations, you will be able to participate in any of the given traditional games, which will be inclusive and entertaining for the whole family to enjoy.
Click here for a list of performances and traditional game demonstrations.
Vendors Village
Vendors will be located in the cultural village.
We are currently seeking a wide variety of Indigenous participation for the Cultural Village.
Vendors may include: 
- Authentic Indigenous Craftworkers including moccasins, clothing, beadwork, bone work, leatherwork, artwork (painting, carvings), and stonework.
- Indigenous food vendors
- Community outreach activities such as children’s mini-workshops, traditional craft-making, story-telling, traditional teachings, dancers with singer/drummers. Please note – these workshops are 1-hour in length and must happen a minimum of 3 times daily (timeframes for workshops will be held between noon-5 pm only on July 13 & 14th).
Please register with your area of interest using the application in the Vendors Package.
Community outreach participants will be contacted to discuss details.
Interested in being a vendor at the Masters Indigenous Games 2018? Access the MIG 2018 VENDOR PACKAGE now!
Embody the Spirit Pow Wow with Dance Specials & Community Feast
The Masters Indigenous Games will come to host the Embody the Spirit Powwow on Sunday, July 15, 2018, grand entry will begin at Noon. The powwow will feature smoke dance special with a prize pot worth over $5,000 and traditional Haudenosaunee singers and a community feast for all participants.
To register as a dancer and for the smoke dance special click here.
Stay tuned! Drum groups, MC’s, special guests, and Haudenosaunee singers will be announced soon.
Opening Gala
The Opening Gala will take place at the Royal Ontario Museum on the evening of July 12, 2018. The Gala will feature cultural performances and tributes, highlighting Indigenous cultures from around the world, with a special emphasis on the rich heritage and diversity of Ontario’s Indigenous Peoples. Featuring Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards winner, David Maracle as well as Inuit and Métis performances and a sampling of Indigenous foods.
Click here for full event details.