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These are difficult stories. We bear witness in this chapter to the role of sport in furthering the settler colonial projects throughout Turtle Island. Here are some supports to access in the community and from a distance:
First Peoples House of Learning Cultural Support & Counselling
Niijkiwendidaa Anishnaabekwag Services Circle (Counselling & Healing Services for Indigenous Women & their Families) – 1-800-663-2696
Nogojiwanong Friendship Centre (705) 775-0387
Peterborough Community Counselling Resource Centre: (705) 742-4258
Hope for Wellness – Indigenous help line (online chat also available) – 1-855-242-3310
LGBT Youthline: askus@youthline.ca or text (647)694-4275
National Indian Residential School Crisis Line – 1-866-925-4419
Talk4Healing (a culturally-grounded helpline for Indigenous women):1-855-5544-HEAL
Section One: History
A) The Residential School System
Exercise 1: Notebook Prompt
We are asked to honour these stories with open hearts and open minds.
Which part of the chapter stood out to you? What were your feelings as you read it? (50 words)
| A section in the chapter that stood out to me was reading about the traditional games and sports played by Indigenous people. Traditional mohak games like tewaarathon were played and the Inuit game of anaulataq which is still played today. Many elders and parents of Indigenous people continued to let them play games even if it was dangerous because it showed signs of bravery.
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B) Keywords
Exercise 2: Notebook Prompt
Briefly define (point form is fine) one of the keywords in the padlet (may be one that you added yourself).
| Indigenous body cultures are defined by traditions, practices, customs, or expressions associated with the human body. Often, these traditions stem from cultural and/or spiritual connections and sometimes historical contexts. Some examples of this are expression through dance that may represent stories or beliefs. Indigenous people also often use body paint and art to symbolize their identity, including traditional tattoos. Indigenous body cultures can even be seen through sports or games that represent their culture through traditional skills.
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C) Settler Colonialism
Exercise 3: Complete the Activities
Exercise 4: Notebook Prompt
Although we have discussed in this module how the colonial project sought to suppress Indigenous cultures, it is important to note that it also appropriates and adapts Indigenous cultures and “body movement practices” (75) as part of a larger endeavour to “make settlers Indigenous” (75).
What does this look like? (write 2 or 3 sentences)
| This would look like settlers adapting to Indigenous culture through engaging with cultural elements instead of forcing their own way of life onto Indigenous people. This would be seen through settlers engaging in traditional ceremonies, ways of life and celebrations.
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D) The Colonial Archive
Exercise 5: Complete the Activities
Section Two: Reconciliation
A) Reconciliation?
Exercise 6: Activity and Notebook Prompt
Visit the story called “The Skate” for an in-depth exploration of sport in the residential school system. At the bottom of the page you will see four questions to which you may respond by tweet, facebook message, or email:
How much freedom did you have to play as a child?
What values do we learn from different sports and games?
When residential staff took photos, what impression did they try to create?
Answer one of these questions (drawing on what you have learned in section one of this module or prior reading) and record it in your Notebook.
| Sports teach us valuable lessons about teamwork, respect, hard work and resilience. A sports team can help encourage people to work together and be a team player through inviting environments. They also can teach you cultural values with many countries and cultures connected to specific sports. Several of the lessons learned playing sports can be applied to real life making them valuable to kids and adolescents with developing brains. Unfortunately, there can be negative lessons experienced during sports with people facing bullying, discrimination, sexism, and racism. In the residential school system, many children were forced to play sports like hockey and skiing to promote lessons of obedience, often being punished if they did not win. They were also introduced as a way to colonize Indigenous people and make them “Canadian” where traditional sports were forbidden. Many indigenous people who experienced sports in residential schools have negative feelings towards sports saying that they affected them “psychologically”.
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B) Redefining Sport
B) Sport as Medicine
Exercise 7: Notebook Prompt
Make note of the many ways sport is considered medicine by the people interviewed in this video.
| Sport is medicine through different ways which is shared by the people in this video. Aiden Baker discusses how he and other Indigenous people often view sports as a gift from the creator as others note that playing sports aids connections to their culture. Chief Roberts Joseph and William Nahini discuss the traumas experienced playing sports in residential schools holding painful memories towards something that is supposed to bring joy. They discuss how sports can be medicine by reclaiming the sport through healing and reconciliation. William Nahini further also mentions how sports bring people together forming that carry them through life. The younger generations of Indigenous peoples talk about how being able to play sports freely while being Indigenous makes them feel proud and as if they’re connecting with their ancestors.
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C) Sport For development
Exercise 7: Notebook Prompt
What does Waneek Horn-Miller mean when she says that the government is “trying but still approaching Indigenous sport development in a very colonial way”?
Exercise 8: Padlet Prompt
Add an image or brief comment reflecting some of “binding cultural symbols that constitute Canadian hockey discourse in Canada.” Record your responses in your Notebook as well.
Pick-up games and pond hockey are the epitome of representing cultural symbols of hockey in Canada. These games are played on a neighbourhood rink, a pond, a frozen lake or maybe someone’s backyard. It represents how hockey can build community and are peak memories for kids growing up. Canadian culture has come to embody a strong sense of community and neighbourly friendliness. Hockey is enriched in Canadian culture and is not just about celebrating those NHL or championship league wins, but also celebrating those wins on a random chilly afternoon with your friends.
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Section Three: Decolonization
Please see the major assignment for this half of the term in the final section of this chapter.
