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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)
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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, enacted in 1876, is a Canadian statute that regulates First Nations communities. It establishes who is a “Status Indian,” manages reserve lands, and oversees band government. The Act established residential schools and prohibited traditional rites like as potlatch and sun dance. It was intended to incorporate Indigenous peoples into settler civilization and has received much criticism for its repressive and colonial character. Despite several amendments, it remains in place today. Many Indigenous communities want to replace it with self-government and nation-to-nation connections that uphold Indigenous rights, autonomy, and cultural traditions.
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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)
| This process frequently includes settlers adopting and modifying Indigenous cultural practices—such as canoeing, snowshoeing, lacrosse, and other land-based activities—while erasing their original cultural significance. These activities are rebranded as part of a “Canadian” identity, giving settlers a sense of belonging to the land while disregarding or eliminating Indigenous peoples’ continued existence and rights. It is a type of cultural appropriation that reinforces settler colonialism by symbolically “indigenizing” settlers while ignoring or disrespecting real Indigenous sovereignty or customs.
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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.
| What values do we learn from different sports and games?
Sports and sports teach important characteristics including collaboration, discipline, resilience, respect, and character. These activities teach people how to work well together, follow rules, endure in the face of adversity, respect opponents, and build integrity. NMAA In the framework of Canada’s residential schools, athletics played an intricate part. While schoolteachers frequently utilized sports to inculcate colonial ideas and control, Indigenous children found personal significance and temporary comfort in these activities. The tale “Skate” from the Witness Blanket project emphasizes this paradox, revealing how sports acted as both means of assimilation and uncommon sources of joy and self-expression for the student.
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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.
| In the video The Importance of Sport for Canada’s Indigenous Peoples, numerous people discuss how sport can be a powerful kind of medicine in their lives and communities. Lacrosse, in particular, is referred to as the “medicine game” and a holy gift from the Creator that connects players to their cultural and spiritual roots. Sports are viewed as a tool for healing—not only physically, but also emotionally and mentally—by providing a method to cope with trauma, stress, and the legacy of colonization. They also promote identification, pride, and a sense of community. Many people use sports to recover their culture, form communities, and improve their overall health.
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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”?
| According to Waneek Horn-Miller, the government’s approach to Indigenous sport development remains colonial, despite intentions to support Indigenous sports. Frameworks and policies are imposed without adequate consultation or involvement of Indigenous communities. This method frequently results in programs established without Indigenous consultation, reflecting Western ideals and institutions that may not be consistent with Indigenous traditional practices or objectives. Such tactics can reinforce a colonial attitude in which Indigenous peoples are viewed as objects to be regulated rather than active participants in establishing their own cultural and sports manifestations. Horn-Miller promotes Indigenous-led decision-making in sports development, ensuring that programs respect and embrace Indigenous traditions and self-determination. |
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.
Team Canada has enormous cultural value as a representation of national identity, pride, and solidarity. Hockey is strongly ingrained in Canadian history and reflects essential qualities such as resilience, collaboration, and persistence. Team Canada’s international victories, particularly in the Olympics and World Juniors, exemplify the country’s enthusiasm and power on a worldwide scale. The distinctive maple leaf, Team Canada uniform, and national song generate a sense of kinship among Canadians that transcends geographical boundaries. The team acts as a unifying force, maintaining Canada’s hockey dominance and promoting national pride.
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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.
