Hundreds of people will flock to a hockey rink in Maple Creek, Sask. Saturday night to watch rodeo cowboys compete against their Cree neighbors line up.
It’s the 40th edition of what the town near the Alberta border calls “an epic hockey game” between members of the Nekaneet First Nation, located south of Maple Creek, and local cowboys who are current or former rodeo competitors.
In the third period, players swap their hockey gear for traditional attire. The cowboys play in their chaps, cowboy hats, plaid shirts and sometimes even with spurs on their ice skates. First Nations players wear headdresses, animal skins and face paint. The referees are RCMP officers changing into their red serge.
“We’re just neighbors. That’s all we really are,” said Nekaneet boss Alvin Francis, who played in the first game in 1979 and carried on until he hung up his skates about 10 years ago.
He said outsiders might raise an eyebrow at teams calling themselves “Cowboys” and “Native Americans,” but he believes people who take the time can learn something about the community — and the game’s story and spirit – to learn to recognize that it is about mutual respect, unity and friendship.
“I understand it’s politically incorrect … but they consider themselves cowboys and we consider ourselves the old term ‘Native American’ that is First Nations today, right? So that’s how we see it,” Francis told CBC News. “We can laugh and joke – just to be neighbors – because that’s the way the world is supposed to be. That’s how we see it.”
Each year the game raises thousands of dollars for the local health center, youth activities or those in need. This year, a portion of the proceeds will benefit Sandy Cooper, a teenage bronco rider who was paralyzed at a recent rodeo.
How did it all start?
It was 1978. Three friends stopped by for a beer on a hot summer day.
Tom Reardon, now 75, hatched the plan with another local cowboy, Nick Demchenko, and her sidekick, Raymond Anderson, a member of the Nekaneet First Nation.
“It took more than a beer to plan it,” Reardon joked. “All we did was plan a fun Sunday afternoon. We weren’t visionaries or anything.”
Reardon came up with the name of the game, Battle of the Little Big Puck, inspired by the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876.
“I went to the bathroom by the bar there, and while I was there, this occurred to me. I came out and Nick and Raymond took a sip of beer when I said that and it splattered all over the table.”
The Cowboys and Cree players faced each other in their first game in January 1979, raising $180 for the local hospital and then hosting a rematch in 1980.
“It was a tie. Each team had won a game. We just thought, ‘Well, that’s good,'” said Reardon.
A few years later, some community members decided to revive the idea. They printed tickets and turned it into a community event that has been successful for decades.
“The purpose of this is really community,” Reardon said. “It’s a fun time!”
A sense of community
For some, the game has developed a deeper meaning and symbolism.
The Nekaneet First Nation has a unique history in southwest Saskatchewan. In the late 1800s, many First Nations were displaced from the Cypress Hills and moved to reservations in other parts of the province. But one chief – Chief Nekaneet – refused to go.
His people stayed in the area with no reserve land or federal funding, befriending the settlers, farming, and learning about rodeo. The Nekaneet First Nation was granted reserve status in 1913, but these relationships continued.
Today, the Little Big Puck battle reflects that history.
“It’s passed down from generation to generation. This knowledge and respect is passed on from the beginning. You don’t see that in other communities,” said Maple Creek Mayor Michelle McKenzie.
The 51-year-old woman recalls going to the game when she was 14. At the time she was a little unsure of where she would fit into the community as a Métis girl. The hockey game helped her find a sense of belonging, she said.
“It didn’t matter who you were or what you were or the color of your skin, you were still part of the community. So that hits me really well when I can figure out where I belong,” McKenzie said.
Elder Larry Oakes will be strapping on his skates for Saturday’s game as he has for almost every other game. The 63-year-old former chief of the Nekaneet First Nation said everyone plays hard, although it really doesn’t matter who wins.
“To deal with something like racism or discrimination, people have to do something. It’s not just something you just write or talk about. You had better do something. This is something we can say we’re doing together,” he said.
In the final minute of the hockey game, all the players flock onto the ice together while the spectators in the standing room cheer.
The Cree elder says, “It’s a celebration.”
