4
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)
|
What stood out most from this reading was how sports were weaponized as a tool of assimilation rather than a source of joy or physical fitness. It was shocking that Indigenous children were forced to play sports despite suffering from extreme malnutrition and poor health. The contradiction of encouraging athleticism while neglecting their basic well-being was deeply disturbing and made me feel very angry about the inadequacies that occurred within these schools and how sports and physical activity were ruined for these children. |
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).
| One key word within this padlet is ‘Settler Colonialism’ which refers to a form of colonialism in which settlers permanently occupy and establish control over Indigenous lands, aiming to eliminate Indigenous populations and replace them with a settler society. Unlike other forms of colonialism that focus primarily on resource extraction, settler colonialism seeks to erase Indigenous presence, cultures, and sovereignty through displacement, assimilation, and legal structures that justify settler claims to the land. |
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)
|
The process of appropriation involves settlers adopting Indigenous body movement practices like canoeing, snowshoeing, or traditional forms of dance as recreational or fitness activities. The problem with this is that it often takes away from the original cultural, spiritual, and relational meanings. It stems from deeper colonial desires to not only control the land and people but to symbolically “become Indigenous” by taking on these aspects of Indigenous identity. However, this is done without accountability, reciprocity, or genuine engagement with the communities these practices come from. It is essentially ‘stealing’ Indigenous practices and rebranding these activities as part of outdoor education, wellness retreats, or national heritage. This selective adoption reinforces the erasure of Indigenous voices, turning lived cultural knowledge into consumable experiences while ignoring Indigenous leadership and self-determination in how these practices are represented and used. It takes away from the meaning of reconciliation and what it means to truly appreciate Indigenous people and their culture. |
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.
| As a child, I had an incredible amount of freedom to play. My grandparents lived on a 200-acre farm, where I spent countless hours exploring the fields, forests, and barns, which sparked my imagination and independence. I also grew up on a lake just outside of town, where I swam, canoed, and played outdoors year-round. My family was financially stable and supportive, enrolling me in a variety of sports and recreational activities. This combination of structured and unstructured play helped me develop creativity, confidence, and a strong connection to nature. I feel very fortunate to have had such freedom. After reading this story, The Skate, it has opened my eyes to how different my opportunities and perspectives within my childhood were from residential school children regarding sport and play. Within this story we learn that sports and physical activity within residential schools were often used as a form of the colonial mission to westernize Indigenous children, with sports often representing a form of survival strategy in times of hardship. This is vastly different from my experience of play as a child, where play was a thoughtless form of fun and a way to enjoy the outdoors, often with friends and family. |
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 was described as a form of medicine all throughout this video. For Aidan Baker, a lacrosse player, sport for him is a way to keep his grandfather’s legacy alive and to help heal from the damaging impacts of residential schools. As we move through the video, William Nahini describes sport, specifically boxing, similar to Aidan, as a form to regain strength after spending 11 years in a residential school and losing a large portion of his childhood freedom. Sport was also described as a form of connecting with friends and maintaining a sense of one’s self for Chief Robert Joseph, who played soccer and a form of Indigenous baseball. It brought him a sense of understanding and pride.
|
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”?
|
In the video, Waneek Horn-Miller talks about being an Olympian. What she means when she says that the government is trying but still approaching Indigenous sports development in a colonial way is that governmental approaches to Indigenous sports development remain entrenched in colonial frameworks. She emphasizes that, despite efforts to support Indigenous athletes, these initiatives often still impose Western structures and priorities, which set aside and ignore Indigenous cultural values and self-determination. Horn-Miller advocates for a paradigm shift towards genuine collaboration, where Indigenous communities lead and shape sports programs that authentically reflect their traditions and needs. She says that true reconciliation in sports must involve giving power back to Indigenous people and supporting programs that are culturally grounded, community-led, and focused on long-term empowerment rather than short-term performance metrics. Without this shift, sport risks becoming another tool of assimilation rather than a space of healing, identity, and pride and true Indigenous sporting culture will not have the same opportunities to thrive as westernized sports do. |
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.
This image of hockey sticks placed on a front porch serves as a quiet but powerful binding cultural symbol within Canadian hockey discourse. In the wake of the Humboldt Broncos tragedy, communities across Canada placed hockey sticks outside their doors as a gesture of mourning, unity, and collective grief. It reflected not only the emotional reach of hockey, but how deeply embedded the sport is in national identity. This act became a shared language of loss and support, symbolizing how hockey connects Canadians beyond the rink as a way of life, a source of resilience, and a space for communal solidarity.
|
Section Three: Decolonization
Long Prompt Module 4- 5%
One of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls to Action related to sport urges all levels of government to ensure long-term Aboriginal athlete development and support for the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG), including funding for hosting, team preparation, and travel (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015). Since its release, notable steps have been taken to address this call.
In 2023, Halifax hosted the NAIG, welcoming over 5,000 Indigenous youth athletes from across North America to compete in 16 sports. The federal government contributed $3.5 million toward hosting, and provincial and municipal governments also provided financial support (Government of Canada, 2023). This funding supported not only logistics but also critical needs like athlete training and travel. The Aboriginal Sport Circle (n.d.), in partnership with Sport Canada, has implemented the Indigenous Long-Term Participant Development Pathway, which considers culturally relevant approaches to athlete development.
Despite this, one-time event funding is not enough. Long-term success will need consistent support so that this event can continue to be held and Indigenous identity can continue to be celebrated in a culturally appropriate way. Settlers can help by advocating for inclusive sports programming, volunteering with Indigenous-led sports organizations, and challenging systemic inequities in mainstream sports. Educational institutions and community clubs should also prioritize Indigenous leadership and education in programming. For reconciliation to be meaningful, ongoing collaboration, Indigenous leadership, and sustained investment are essential.
Aboriginal Sport Circle. (n.d.). Long-term participant development pathway. https://aboriginalsportcircle.ca/en/programs/ltpd
Government of Canada. (2023, July 15). Government of Canada announces funding for the 2023 North American Indigenous Games. https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/news/2023/07/government-of-canada-announces-funding-for-the-2023-north-american-indigenous-games.html
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. (2015). Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action. http://trc.ca/assets/pdf/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf
