Player concerned about ban on spectator drumming, singing at All Native Basketball Tournament

Players and fans are raising concerns about a ban on drumming and singing by spectators at the All Native Basketball Tournament that wrapped up in Prince Rupert, B.C., on Saturday.

These practices are culturally significant for some First Nations.

Scott Barker, who played in the tournament representing the Nisga'a Nation, says elders from Gingolx sang and drummed near the basketball court before a game. The next day, a committee member told one of the elders there had been a complaint, and they wouldn't be allowed to play their drums at the event that ran from April 3-9 on B.C.'s North Coast. 

"The drum is the heartbeat of the Indigenous people. It always has been. Our singing is an expression of who we are as a people. It's not just a noisemaker, it's who we are. This is probably the last significant thing that we have," Barker said.

"When an elder brings a drum, the significance rises ... It becomes even more powerful."

Drumming was allowed at official events, however, and a drumming group with the Haida Nation was on the court during the tournament's opening ceremony.

Barker said fans are permitted to use other noisemakers, some of which are louder than drums.

The ban on drums and singing, he said, is problematic for people who feel a cultural connection to those activities. 

Celebrating our culture is one of those few things that many of us feel that we have control over and that we can bring to events and people. We can really celebrate who we are."

Since the news of the rule became more widely known, other people took to social media to express their concern.

Tournament chairperson Peter Haugan said the rule prohibiting drumming and singing has been in place for several years, but refused to provide CBC with a copy of the tournament rules. 

He would not answer any of CBC's other questions about the rule. 

This isn't the first time the tournament has attracted controversy: in 2020 organizers banned media from attending and covering games. 

At the time, Haugan told CBC it was because the tournament didn't like negative coverage of political issues at the tournament in the past. 

Barker said he would like to meet with the organizing committee, along with representatives from other First Nations, to find out more about the rule and explain how important drumming and singing is to many participants.