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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)
| Sports served as both assimilation and resistance tools in residential schools, as demonstrated in Chapter 15. While their customs were suppressed, Indigenous children were compelled to participate in Euro-Canadian sports. Many, however, have reclaimed sports as places of resiliency. The chapter inspired anger, respect, and a strong desire to promote harmony in modern sports. |
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).
| When settlers arrive in a region and attempt to replace Indigenous populations and cultures with their own society, government, and institutions, this is known as settlers colonialism. It is persistent and has its roots in the erasure and displacement of Indigenous peoples, in contrast to other types of colonialism. |
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 process is demonstrated by the way settlers appropriate Indigenous sports like lacrosse, snowshoeing, and canoeing while depriving them of their spiritual and cultural value. After that, these customs are reframed as components of national or recreational identities, erasing Indigenous roots and promoting settler belonging. This is part of a larger colonial strategy that continued to marginalize Indigenous peoples while asserting Indigenous lands, customs, and identities. |
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.
| Values like respect, discipline, perseverance, and teamwork are instilled through sports and games. However, the social and historical setting in which sports are played determines the significance and effects of these values. Traditional games and physical activities were closely linked to survival skills, spirituality, and community in many Indigenous cultures. These customs strengthened ties to the land, cultural knowledge, and cooperation. Sports, however, served as assimilation tools in the residential school system, suppressing Indigenous identities and imposing European values.
Under severe supervision, children attending residential schools were frequently made to play Euro-Canadian sports like baseball, football, and hockey. These sports may have imparted resilience and teamwork, but they did so within a framework intended to eradicate Indigenous cultures. The idea that only European forms of recreation were valuable was reinforced by the prohibition or disregard for traditional Indigenous games. Additionally, photos taken by residential school staff frequently showed kids playing sports, which obscured the reality of abuse and cultural oppression while projecting a false sense of contentment and normalcy. Numerous Indigenous youth managed to reclaim sports on their own terms in spite of these oppressive circumstances. Some were exceptionally skilled athletes who turned to sports as a means of strength, resistance, and even escape. The colonial past of sport is being challenged by the revival of Indigenous sports and the incorporation of Indigenous viewpoints in leisure activities, which also affirm sport’s capacity to serve as a platform for cultural revival, empowerment, and healing. |
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.
| Those interviewed in the video describe sport as medicine in a variety of ways:
Trauma Recovery: Sport offers Indigenous youth a way to recover from the long-term impacts of colonization, such as the influence of residential schools and intergenerational trauma. Mental Health and Well-Being: Exercise fosters emotional resilience and self-confidence while assisting in the management of stress, anxiety, and depression. Relation to Culture: Traditional Indigenous sports and physical activities help to reclaim traditions, strengthen cultural identity, and promote pride in one’s heritage. Community and Belonging: Sports, particularly for Indigenous youth, create supportive networks, improve relationships, and give people a sense of belonging. Spiritual Connection: By fusing movement with ceremony and custom, physical activity is viewed as a means of honouring one’s body, spirit, and ancestors. Strength and Empowerment: Playing sports fosters self-reliance, leadership, and the capacity to overcome obstacles on and off the field. In Indigenous communities, sport is a potent tool for resilience, identity, and healing that goes beyond simple recreation. |
C) Sport For development
Exercise 8: 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”?
| According to Waneek Horn-Miller, the government is still working to promote the growth of Indigenous sport within a colonial framework that does not fully respect Indigenous ways of knowing or self-determination. Government programs frequently impose Western structures, priorities, and funding models that are incompatible with Indigenous values and traditions, instead of enabling Indigenous communities to direct and influence their own sports programs. Instead of encouraging genuine cooperation and sovereignty in the development of Indigenous sport, this strategy maintains control patterns. |
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.
| In Canadian hockey discourse, the sport is frequently portrayed as a unifying force that transcends differences, based on binding cultural symbols that shape national identity. Hockey’s reputation as “Canada’s game” is further supported by pictures of outdoor rinks, kids learning to skate in the cold, and the Stanley Cup as the ultimate accomplishment. The sport is strongly linked to virtues like perseverance, fortitude, and teamwork, which supports the idea that Canadians are industrious and focused on their communities.
But this discussion frequently ignores the sport’s colonial past and its exclusionary features. Despite being hailed as a national symbol, race, class, and geography have long influenced who can play hockey. Although Indigenous peoples have a long history with the sport, mainstream narratives frequently ignore or minimize their contributions. Furthermore, many racialized and lower-income communities have found it challenging to fully engage in Canada’s dominant hockey culture due to obstacles like exorbitant equipment costs and institutional racism. The idea that hockey is only a settler-colonial symbol has been contested by Indigenous and racialized players who have persistently fought for acceptance and inclusion. The cultural significance of hockey in Canada is currently changing as a result of initiatives to decolonize the sport and honour its varied past. Making hockey discourse genuinely inclusive and representative of Canadian identity requires acknowledging and resolving its exclusionary elements. |
Section Three: Decolonization
Please see the major assignment for this half of the term in the final section of this chapter.
Longer Prompt (5%):
Read the TRC’s 94 Calls to Action specific to sport again. Choose one of the Calls to Action that have been answered in full or in part and in 300 words explain the steps that have been taken to fulfill them and provide specific examples of what this looks like. Also reflect on how communities and individuals (particularly settlers) can contribute to addressing these Calls to Action.
Call to Action 88, which advocates for long-term Aboriginal athlete development and ongoing support for the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG), is one of the TRC’s Calls to Action that has been partially implemented. The significance of funding the Games, team preparation, and athlete development is emphasized in this Call. Considerable progress has been made in meeting these needs during the last ten years.
Every few years, Indigenous youth have the chance to participate in a variety of sports while honouring their cultural heritage at the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG). These Games have received more and more financial and logistical support from the federal and provincial governments. The Canadian government, for instance, made a significant investment in the 2023 NAIG, which was held in Kjipuktuk (Halifax), providing funds for team travel, preparation, and event coordination. This funding guarantees that Indigenous athletes can compete at a high level and that the Games’ cultural component will continue to be a major priority.
Athlete development programs targeted specifically at Indigenous youth have gained more attention in addition to supporting the Games. Through mentoring, culturally appropriate coaching, and training, programs like the Aboriginal Sport Circle and Spirit North—led by Olympic skier Beckie Scott—have attempted to boost Indigenous participation in sports. These programs empower Indigenous youth in sports and their cultural identities by encouraging pride, leadership, and community involvement.
Additionally, communities are taking the lead in creating programs that integrate traditional knowledge and values, and the government has started to support athletic events led by Indigenous people. However, more needs to be done to guarantee equal access to elite athlete development and sustainable funding.
By promoting steady support for Indigenous sports programs, acknowledging the value of culturally sensitive coaching, and striving to remove structural obstacles for Indigenous athletes, settlers can help fulfill this call. Important steps that can aid in the process of reconciliation include recognizing the significant contributions that Indigenous peoples make to Canadian sport and promoting Indigenous sovereignty in sports.
