Indigenous people on Turtle Island have been champions in physical activity for thousands of years to survive off of the land. This physical prowess is passed on from generation to generation.  Prior to the competitive mainstream sports that we know today, the original people were successfully shaping their villages and homes with hard physical labour that changed with the needs of each season and generation.  There would be people in the villages who excelled in physical accomplishments such as:

• War canoe battles
• Archery or spear throwing while hunting
• Harvesting large trees for homes or canoes
• Being a transient tribe that moved entire communities to be closer to food sources for harvest in spring or summer.

There are many Indigenous stories about physical achievements tied to power, strength, endurance, and other attributes that make great athletes or champions regardless of sex and/or gender or abilities. There are also some well-recognized athletes on Turtle Island that have excelled in movement and this Stepping Stone will highlight some of these past and present successes in physical movement for Indigenous peoples.  As we move to the end of the Stepping Stones in this resource, it is important to recognize that the history of Indigenous people’s achievements is seldom recorded in written articles or photographs. This is due to colonization, and as such, there is a disconnect between achievements in Indigenous communities compared to what is featured in the news.  All accomplishments of Indigenous people in movement – whether recorded formally or not –  are positive, reverent, and meaningful.  As this resource is a living document, we invite you to contribute and share more successes and continue to build the story.  However, the current Stepping Stone is restricted to what is shared on the World Wide Web for reading, seeing and hearing.

Stepping Stone 8 provides learners an opportunity to reflect on the past and present Indigenous people’s achievements in movement that include traditional sports and mainstream sport competitions.

Upon completion of Stepping Stone 8, learners should be able to:

As discussed in Stepping Stone 7, prior to colonization, there was competition within and between Indigenous communities that resulted in successes that were seen as individual, team, or community achievements.  Physical achievements in movement translated into feelings of success, recognition, and championship, but these physical challenges also supported training for life competition; to survive and to sustain the community way of life.

Sports competition existed before colonization, however, the settlers introduced new physical competitions and ways to recognize success in local, regional, national, and international games, tournaments, and events.  During colonization and Indian residential school dominance, sport competition was a part of community activities. Through sport during this time, some Indigenous athletes may have found a place to associate with others, creating stronger connections within the new education, recreation, or sport systems that were forced upon them. The ability to participate in sporting events may have provided a place to connect with one’s warrior spirit again, and have a sense of community.

Watch: Our Ancestors Were Athletes (43:58)

• The World Indigenous Nations Games
• The Arctic Winter Games
• North American Indigenous Games
•  Voyageur Games
• Masters Indigenous Games

There are also regional events that may be organized by mainstream sport organizations where Indigenous people shine with success.  Traditional Indigenous celebrations offer other examples of achievement in movement.  For example, there are elite dancers in powwow, jingle dress, drumming, jigging, hoop, fancy, grass dance, and so on.  Furthermore, there are Indigenous community events where traditional sports or other movement activities are celebrated and participants’ achievements are recognized but not necessarily medaled.  All successes in movement must be celebrated; from an Indigenous way of knowing, physical achievements may not be accomplished without recognizing the other wholistic components and ties to spiritual, emotional, and mental wellness.  It is important to consider that achievement in movement may be tied to “walking the talk” and having integrity with actions, thoughts, words, and beliefs.  Achievement in movement may also be a physical skill or test that elicits endurance, stamina, strength, power, agility, flexibility, balance, speed, coordination, or accuracy.  Achievements in movement may be individual or team-based, age-specific, be connected to a person’s sex or gender, categorized by level or abilities, and have ties to community or national origin.  However, all achievements in movement are to be celebrated, from a child learning to ride a bike to an Elder who has passed on the teachings of drum dancing.

Reflect on a time that you may have had achievements in physical movement, and when your goals were realized, how did you feel physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally?

Take this time to write down or share what physical activity or event you participated in. What motivated you to compete?

Are you still involved in this type of physical movement (sport, activity, etc.)? If you can, find time in the short-term to engage with this physical movement again. Even if it is modified, changed, or altered, see if you can reconnect with your self-identified successes in physical activity.