Sea Bears to Celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day at Wednesday Night Game

WINNIPEG – The Winnipeg Sea Bears of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Tuesday the unique programming for their game on June 21 against Vancouver, which falls on National Indigenous Peoples Day. The Sea Bears will partner with First Nations performing group Buffalo Red Thunder to mark and celebrate the day. 

Introduced in 1996, National Indigenous Peoples Day exists to recognize the history, heritage, resilience and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis across Canada. The Sea Bears are committed to playing their part in these acknowledgements and actions to push forward reconciliation. The organization is committed to celebrating the diverse cultures that make up the Winnipeg community and honouring the Treaty One territory on which the team plays.

“Celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day is core to the values of Canada and who we are as a country,” said Sea Bears owner and chairman David Asper. “The Sea Bears look forward to both the spectacle and mindfulness at our home game on June 21 in our journey to foster a stronger and more unified world.”

Headlining the show will be 25-year-old hoop dancer Evander Twoheart. Hailing from Sagkeeng First Nation, Twoheart began dancing at age five with the goal of preserving his culture through performance. His performing career has led him across the province, and more recently back to his community to teach his craft to the next generation. Twoheart is also a proud ambassador of Red Rebel Armour, a locally owned Indigenous streetwear brand aiming to share stories of resilience through art, culture and fashion.

Twoheart will dance accompanied by a drumming performance by Buffalo Red Thunder. Elder Joanne Roulette of Sandy Bay First Nation will provide a blessing before the game.

The organization hopes you’ll join us in extending a warm welcome to inner city youth and basketball players who are set to compete at the North American Indigenous Games.

It all begins when the Sea Bears take the court at Canada Life Centre to face the Vancouver Bandits June 21 at 7 p.m. CT. For tickets, visit seabears.ca/tickets.  

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About the CEBL

A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 71 percent of its 2022 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Nine players have moved from the CEBL into the NBA following a CEBL season, and 28 CEBL players attended NBA G League training camps during October. The CEBL season runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow @CEBLeague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.

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