MANCHESTER, England — Some of the women have blue hair, others, purple, some long and plaited, others short and shaved on the sides. Tattoos depicting skates, roses and eagle feathers peek out from behind their elbowpads and kneepads. They wear a streak of red makeup across their face with three dots below it, symbolizing three matriarchal generations: the grandmother, the mother and the self.

One by one, they pass around a shell filled with burning sage wafting fragrant curls of smoke toward their faces, chests and over their heads. Some cry silently and others smile, catching the eye of every member in their round. They hold one another like sisters, though they met in person just days ago.

This diverse group — astronomers, lawyers, postal workers, heavy machine operators, mothers, grandmothers and wives — is made up of indigenous people from different nations. But they are united for a surprising reason: a roller derby competition. And this is how they get ready for their game.

Team Indigenous, which includes 20 athletes from indigenous communities in Canada, the United States, South America, New Zealand and elsewhere around the globe, is one of 38 competing in the 2018 Roller Derby World Cup. It is the first such team to compete, and it is one of the few teams that are not mostly white.