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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)
| I think the part of the chapter 15 where they spoke about sports and games stood out to me the most. while I was reading the chapter I was comparing it to when I was young in elementary school and the games we played were for a different reason. the chapter says the games they played in the 1890s was for development skills when they become adults, like military, or around the home. compared to when I was in school playing games and sports it was just to have fun, for recreation. its very interesting to see the different viewpoints over the importance of games and sports changes over 135 years which isn’t that long in the history of the world when we think of it.
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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).
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C) Settler Colonialism
Exercise 3: Complete the Activities
If colonialism is typically temporary, settler colonialism is
In contrast with colonialism, in settler colonialism, settlers form attachments to the land*.
Settler colonialism often grows out of colonialism. – True
What is the role of sport in settler colonial projects?
- Appropriating the body cultures of Indigenous peoples.
- Controlling the bodies of indigenous peoples
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 method of appropriation and adaptation is evident in how settler societies incorporate Indigenous symbols, traditions, and physical practices, removing their original significance. For instance, settlers might engage in Indigenous dancing or yoga-like practices influenced by Indigenous customs, yet detach them from their cultural and spiritual significance. Likewise, outdoor recreational activities like canoeing or snowshoeing frequently dismiss Indigenous knowledge systems while being marketed as “genuine” national traditions. This supports the colonial initiative by enabling settlers to assert a connection to the land while ignoring the continuing challenges faced by Indigenous communities.
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D) The Colonial Archive
Exercise 5: Complete the Activities
- Most photos were taken for official reporting reasons and therefore “connote meanings tied to and objectives” (51).
- Images curated to suggest “a sheltered and productive school environment” that was “efficient, well-managed, and orderly” created a for readers who are invited to superimpose their own educational experiences onto what they see” (51)
- Widely circulating generic images convey a sense that faces are and erase individual Indigenous (61)
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 kid, me and my friends were allowed to play any game or sport we wanted as long as it wasn’t violent. this was very different for indigenous kids. we see that indigenous games and sports weren’t allowed to be played at Canadian Indian residential schools. instead they were taught sports and games that are common in Canada. I find it interesting from the reviews some they got from some people that attended a residential school and they all similarly say that sports was the most important part of the day, one person saying it was a “saving grace” to many. that makes me think how of how bad these schools were to kids, and we know what they did and how they were treated so my thoughts aren’t far off. For me sports and games was just for recreation, a break from the school work, but to them it seems like much more.
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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.
| Treadwell family uses sports to get an education, they acknowledge that their ancestors went through a lot of hardship to be allowed to play sports freely now. one of the daughters got a scholarship to help pay for book in college.
Aidan Baker – sport is a medicine to him to clear his mind, when he faces challenges he uses sport get clear his mind to think straight. to help him overcome the obstacle he faces
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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 criticizes the government’s strategy for Indigenous sports development as being based on colonial frameworks that do not adequately acknowledge Indigenous self-determination, principles, and customs. Although attempts may be made to assist Indigenous athletes, these programs frequently enforce Western frameworks of sports management, financing, and competition that do not correspond with Indigenous views on physical activity, community health, and comprehensive development. Rather than enabling Indigenous communities to direct their own sports initiatives, the government often enforces top-down policies that exert control instead of promoting genuine collaboration and honouring Indigenous knowledge and existence. |
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.
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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.
turtle island game map
