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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 part that stood out to me in this chapter was muscular Christianity. It is a disgusting comparison between growing physical strength, advancing your athletic ability and forcing and dominating a group of people and their land. It was a challenging read. To see how the people running the Residential Schools made the children and their interests into commodities was awful. |
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).
| Muscular Christianity is a term coined by Hughes that explains how Christians would build up their body muscle and health to maximise their ability to “subdue” the earth and to “encourage” those around them to convert to Christianity. They would use sport to build up their muscle and strength and use that muscle to grow their religion around them. It is implied that force from their increased and intentional strength is utilised to subdue the earth, as we see through Residential Schools, the sixties sweep, etc. They used their religion and muscles as an excuse to physically overtake those who did not agree with or fall into the expectations of Christianity. |
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 settlers try to become Indigenous to the land by taking much of the cultures and practices of Indigenous People and either erasing it or keeping it for themselves. Much of “becoming Indigenous” requires the settlers to erase the Indigenous People’s history of sport, music, land, practices, etc. and replace their history with history that brings the coloniser to the forefront, prioritising them over the true history, such as when the colonisers said that lacrosse and hockey had therapeutic effects to it to train the Indigenous boys to be more of what the white population wanted them to be, even though Indigenous people have a long history with sport and athletics. |
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.
| I had a lot of freedom to play as a child. My school encouraged their students to run laps around the schoolyard and would reward us with awards at the end of the year if we ran a certain amount or more. They encouraged us to play sports and use sporting equipment. We had physical education every day where we would run laps and learn how to play new sports. At home, I would be told to play outside until dinner was ready, where I would colour with chalk, hula hoop, or, my favourite, jump rope! I read these recounts of Indigenous children being forced to participate in sports to colonise them and train them how to be “proper and well-behaved” and it is very upsetting. As a child, I was told that to play and participate in sports was freedom. You could use your imagination, creativity, and teamwork to do well. However, Indigenous children in Residential Schools were forced to have their identities stripped and colonised with the help of sports and structured play. It is very disturbing to think how the government and church organised sports to also advertise how “well” their training and “rehabilitation” was. It is awful that the children had their freedoms taken from them, and their recreational time weaponised.
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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.
| The children would use their native language to communicate with their teammates while on the field or playing their games. It not only allowed them an advantage against their competitors, but it also allowed them to connect to their culture and retain their heritage and language. This would have been an incredibly healing aspect of sport that opposed the abuse and eradication occurring in Residential Schools.
Willian Nahini mentioned it was like therapy. He emphasises it allowed him a physical outlet to release emotions, and the trauma built from Residential Schools. It would have also allowed him to heal the negative emotions made from the abuse of being forced to box as entertainment as he now boxed when and if he wanted to. He had control, which is healing. Sport also allowed them to connect with their community and their culture of unity. Being on the team and working together as one during the game highlighted the importance of togetherness and the prominent importance of culture within Indigenous culture.
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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 could mean that the government is trying to increase the number of Indigenous athletes on their sports teams and those teams that represent Canada on a large scale, but they are not giving Indigenous people the resources they need to improve or have more opportunities. While the Canadian Government is not openly and violently racist in 2025, they still are oppressing and trying to colonise the Indigenous communities. The government continues to encourage the Indigenous community to participate in sports while not providing any form of support or funding. They are not giving them funding to buy equipment; they are cutting general funding; they are watching as Indigenous communities knowingly are suffering with their low income and finances and are providing very little to help them as a whole. It runs deep because even if they were funding the sports equipment and training, the athletes may still go hungry, be in dangerous situations at home, or need to be in other places to provide for themselves and their families. The general lack of empathy deeply reflects the way Canada is approaching Indigenous sport development, as they are not providing adequate or necessary resources to aid the Indigenous community and put them in a position where they could thrive in their chosen sport. Overall, they are outwardly and publicly encouraging Indigenous communities to participate in sports, but they are continuing to pursue colonial acts by taking away funding and not giving them the required resources they need. |
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.
| The team logos and symbols of Canadian Hockey teams help bring fans together and create a sense of identity within their preferred team. Organisations easily place or present team logos on shirts and jerseys, creating an image of unity and teamwork, especially in a group, such as in the photo!
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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.
While Call to Action 91 is not directed at the government of Canada, they have made significant progress to ensure it is being developed and respectfully maintained. For example, from 2017 to 2017, they invested around 38.9 million dollars into Indigenous sports leadership and programming. They also ensured funding of 3.5 million dollars for the North American Indigenous Games, which they hosted in 2017. They have, with this funding, been ensuring Indigenous athletes have proper travel accommodations and any preparations they may need to have access to sports games and competitions. Additionally, the government of Canada has increased opportunities for Indigenous communities to have access to sports programs and give them a space to learn how to play and develop their skills. A way communities can contribute to these calls of action would be to encourage more sports teams to scout Indigenous players and put them on their teams, to demand diversity within mainstream sports. Also, if you can support the Indigenous sports teams, watch them play! Going and showing support shows the government of Canada that they are incredibly important members of our communities. Also, it is necessary to be aware of these calls to action because I was not prior to taking this course! Nor was I aware of the North American Indigenous Games! There should be an encouragement to tune in, and see the talent of Indigenous people within so-called Canada! People and communities should advertise the games, to not only witness the amazing skills of those within our provinces and territories but also to ensure the government of Canada is upholding their promise to take care of Indigenous participants and teams and make sure they have the best care and opportunities to shine within sports. Additionally, during the Olympics and Special Olympics, Canada conducted a land acknowledgement, an important aspect of respecting the Indigenous communities whose land we are on.
