Witset First Nation softball team celebrates 100 years of playing in northwest B.C.

A First Nation in northwestern British Columbia is celebrating its softball team's centennial anniversary with a tournament this weekend. 

The Witset First Nation, previously known as Moricetown, is the home base of the Moricetown Cubs, originally founded as a baseball team in 1923.

The team is hosting a men's softball tournament on Aug. 5-6 in Witset, a Wet'suwet'en village located approximately 212 kilometres east of Prince Rupert in the province's northwest. 

The event at Alfred Mitchell Memorial Ballpark will include other teams including Prince George's Big Guy Lake and Vanderhoof Rippers.

Des McKinnon, 48, manager of the Moricetown Cubs, inherited his role from his grandfather, Alfred Mitchell, who also played for the team. 

According to McKinnon, nearly every current member of the team has ancestors who were involved with the Cubs at some point. The team switched to playing softball in 1977.

McKinnon says he didn't know how the team was founded, but learned from his grandfather that the name Moricetown Cubs was the result of a compromise among the founding members.

"One name [they considered] was Cougars, the other one named [the team] Bears, and the third guy wanted to name [the team] the Wolves, and instead of arguing, [they decided that] the offspring of those three animals were called Cubs," he said.

In its early years, the Cubs faced restrictions and were only able to play in the Bulkley Valley Baseball League, which included teams from neighbouring communities like Hazelton, Fort Babine, Smithers, Telkwa and Houston. 

The restrictions were due to the so-called "pass system," which required Indigenous people to present a travel document to leave and return to their reserves. It was imposed by the federal government after the 1885 Northwest Resistance.

After the pass system ended in the early 20th century, the Cubs were able to travel freely and compete in baseball and softball tournaments outside the Bulkley Valley region, making their way to top-three placements in tournaments during the '60s.

Des's father, Gary McKinnon, originally from Fort St. James, joined the Cubs in 1971 at age 17, before retiring from the sport several years ago.

Gary says he fondly remembers travelling with teammates to various cities for tournaments, and he's looking forward to seeing team members and fans coming together in Witset this weekend.

"[The Moricetown Cubs team] brought people together, like the sport itself," Gary said.