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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)
| The ignorance that by playing music and hockey will take the “indian out of the native people.. Who did they think invented hockey.
To be honnest I don’t think one element stood out over any other. Perhaps maybe the lack of reading materials that the church and government couldn’t have been bothered enough to have books, that eaton magazines was what they had. Every bit of this makes me angry and ashamed.
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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).
| The Indian Act is a piece of racist, colonial garbage designed to strip First Nations people of their rights, culture, and sovereignty while maintaining settler control. Since 1876, it has imposed oppressive policies, banning ceremonies, enforcing residential schools, and controlling Indigenous identity, all in the name of assimilation and white supremacy. Despite amendments, it remains a tool of systemic racism and government interference in Indigenous lives. What is even more disgusting is that the Act is still around today.
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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)
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Hockey? Skiiing? Colonialism didn’t just try to erase Indigenous cultures—it also stole from them. The Mi’kmaq played early forms of hockey, yet the sport was taken, rebranded as “Canadian,” and Indigenous players were pushed aside. The Dene, Cree, and Inuit mastered skiing long before settlers arrived, but their knowledge was ignored as skiing became a European sport.
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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.
| Residential school photos made it look like kids were happy—playing hockey, smiling in uniforms, or neatly lined up. But they didn’t show the reality, being forced to ski in -40°C, the fear of missing a meal if they lost a game, or the deep ache of missing home. These pictures weren’t just staged; they were meant to convince the world that the schools were helping while, behind the scenes, children were suffering. They were used to say, “Look how much better off they are,” when in truth, they were cold, hungry, and torn away from everything they love
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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.
| I absolutely loved that video. It showed how sport was more than just a game for Indigenous athletes—it was escapism, healing, and reconnection. For those in residential schools, playing allowed them to reclaim their culture by speaking their languages on the field, not just instilling pride but also confusing their opponents. One survivor described trauma as a wet blanket—heavy, uncomfortable, and weighing him down—but through sport, he was able to lift that weight and move forward. Boxing, lacrosse, and other sports helped Indigenous athletes heal, build confidence, and create opportunities, leading to scholarships and higher education, ultimately improving their socioeconomic status and self-worth.
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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”?
| Waneek Horn-Miller is saying that while the government is trying to support Indigenous athletes, it’s still doing it on its own terms, not theirs. Instead of listening to Indigenous communities and working with them to create real opportunities, they’re forcing athletes into systems that weren’t built for them. Many Indigenous athletes, especially those in remote communities, don’t have access to coaches, facilities, or the support they need to compete at the highest levels. Throwing money at the problem isn’t enough. Real change means creating Indigenous-led programs built around Indigenous ways of learning, training, and competing. It’s not just about playing the game, it’s about reclaiming identity and ensuring Indigenous athletes have a real chance to succeed. |
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 Canada, hockey is more than just a game. It’s validation, escapism, and identity. In hockey houses, kids miss school for practice, and families pour everything into a slim, minute chance of making it pro, and yet the sport continues to inspire. When Canada competes internationally, we rally as a nation, feeling the thrill of victory as proof that we are enough. Hockey fuels our pride and our sense of belonging, and in tough times, it gives us strength. |
Section Three: Decolonization
Please see the major assignment for this half of the term in the final section of this chapter.
