Human movement professionals work with populations of varying ages, backgrounds, and abilities to help them achieve their fitness and wellness goals and improve quality of life. In Canada, Indigenous peoples are the fastest growing population – one that has unique needs when it comes to health and physical activity. Before these needs can be appropriately addressed, it is essential to first understand important truths about Indigenous physical culture, including how it functioned before Europeans ever saw the shores of Turtle Island.

Wholistic Learning Objectives

Warm-up Activity

It can be tempting to sprint ahead under the guise of reconciling. Reconciliation, however, is a process with no clear finish line and requires that one become acquainted with many important truths before moving beyond their crucial first steps.

In the context of Stepping Stone 1, finding “truth” involves making a jump back in time, to explore the historical dynamics of Indigenous physical culture.

The image below is just one example of pre-contact Indigenous physical culture.

As you look at the image, consider the following questions:

• What does the image mean to you? Make a list of words or phrases that come to mind when looking at the image.
• Can you think of some reasons for the historical significance of the image and/or what it may represent?
• Can you make a personal connection to what is displayed in the image? What feelings and/or questions does it evoke?

Warm-up Activity

It can be tempting to sprint ahead under the guise of reconciling. Reconciliation, however, is a process with no clear finish line and requires one to become acquainted with many important truths before moving beyond their crucial first steps.

As we did in the previous Stepping Stone, finding “truth” requires making another leap into the past. In the context of Stepping Stone 2 however, we will be visiting a difficult chapter in Indigenous history, when Indigenous physical culture irrevocably changed following first contact.

The image below is just one example of post-contact Indigenous physical culture. As you look at the image, consider the following questions:

• What does the image mean to you? Make a list of words or phrases that come to mind when looking at the image.
• Can you think of some reasons for the historical significance of the image and/or what it may represent?
• Can you make a personal connection to what is displayed in the image? What feelings and/or questions does it evoke?

“The Great Dying”

Before the arrival of European explorers, traders, missionaries, and settlers, Turtle Island was occupied by diverse and thriving Indigenous populations. However, with the 1497 expedition of John Cabot (the earliest-known European exploration of North America since the eleventh-century Norse voyages to “Vinland”), the concerted European conquest of what is now called Canada began. First contact with Europeans changed Indigenous ways of life forever; primarily, through the transmission of “Old World” diseases. Lacking biological immunities, alien afflictions including smallpox, influenza, bubonic plague, chickenpox, cholera, measles, and malaria had devastating effects on Indigenous health and health systems:

“In some cases, people who were sick may have otherwise survived if provided with basic care. First Nations health systems had never encountered these diseases and were unprepared to deal with them. These epidemics continued throughout the historic period and caused ongoing and dramatic population decline”. (First Nations Health Authority, n.d., para. 13)

Given their lack of familiarity with these diseases, traditional healers were powerless to respond. Left overwhelmed by waves of sickness and loss of life, it was not uncommon that physical culture practices like hunting and foraging became interrupted in some Indigenous communities. Simultaneously, over-hunting by Europeans and the introduction of invasive “Old World” plant and animal species would upset the natural balance, thus further disrupting Indigenous subsistence life. The lack of available food and nutrition intake, as a result, weakened the immune systems of those surviving – perpetuating a destructive cycle of population collapse. During this time, mortality rates in affected villages ranged from 50% to 90% (First Nations Health Authority, n.d.). Because of this, Indigenous oral histories were partially if not entirely lost. In this depopulated landscape, the concept of terra nullius  (a term meaning “nobody’s land” and used to justify assertions that territories unoccupied by Christians could be acquired by Christian states) began to take root. 15th century Papal Bulls known as the Doctrine of Discovery provided a legal framework for European explorers to lay claim to Indigenous territories, ultimately giving way to colonization.

Revered Physiques

The diseases carried by Europeans to the “New World” would be transmitted through trade, missionary work, and other contact with Indigenous peoples over the ensuing decades. And thus, as European colonization of Turtle Island unfolded, Indigenous population numbers continued to plummet. In spite of this great loss of life, the lineage of Indigenous physical culture persisted. Traditional lifeways – although progressively influenced by colonial ideologies and processes – kept people active and connected to the natural resources they relied upon for survival. This, in combination with a subsistence diet, built strong physiques; a fact that did not go unnoticed by the newcomers.

The historical accounts of early Europeans offer some perspectives on the physical fitness of Indigenous peoples, and in fact, often describe their outward appearances in quite complimentary terms. Even Samuel de Champlain – one of the foremost colonizers of Turtle island – acknowledged the striking figures of the Haudenosaunee warriors he infamously encountered in 1609:

“I saw the enemy come out of their barricades to the number of two hundred, in appearance strong, robust men.” (de Champlain & Biggar, 1922, pp. 97-98).

Jesuit missionaries detailed their observations about the Indigenous peoples that they encountered in reports that came to be known as the Jesuit Relations. “They are of lighter build than we are; but handsome and well-shaped,” claimed Father Pierre Biard in 1611. Father Francesco Bressani shared a similar opinion, writing in 1653: “they are strong, tall in stature, and well-proportioned: more healthy than we.” Similarly, engravings made in Jesuit priest François Du Creux’s “Historiae Canadensis seu Novae Franciae” (published in 1664) uniquely depict the artist’s admiration of Indigenous physiques:

Backbone of the Fur Trade

Driven by commercial objectives, westward expansion made it increasingly difficult for Indigenous peoples to access seasonal harvesting sites, with more and more of their territories becoming claimed by colonial powers. And although forced to adapt their ways of life because of the rapidly growing and intensely competitive fur trade (an extensive trade enterprise which supplied European demand for pelts to make clothing), seventeenth- and eighteenth-century European records still emphasize the physicality of Indigenous peoples. Voyageurs for instance, who were frequently of Indigenous or mixed-Indigenous descent (e.g., Métis), are credited with accomplishing the hard manual labour of the fur trade. Those employed by companies and merchants as voyageurs engaged in the grueling work of transporting furs, often over long distances by foot and canoe. Author Washington Irving attests to their rugged endurance in his 1836 book Astoria: Or, Enterprise Beyond the Rocky Mountains:

“Their natural good-will is probably heightened by a community of adventure and hardship in their precarious and wandering life… They are dextrous boatmen, vigorous and adroit with the oar and paddle, and will row from morning until night without a murmur.” (p. 24)

For voyageurs, transporting furs by canoe necessitated paddling at highly aerobic paces (at a rate of about 40-50 strokes per minute and portaging the canoes (and contents) between waterways (Nute, 1931). Furs were carried in 40 kg (90 lbs) bundles or “piéces.” Two of these piéces (totalling 80 kgs or 180 lbs) made an ordinary load for portaging, but as indicated by 19th century scholar Dr. Grace Lee Nute (1931), “emulation among the men in proof of unusual strength or endurance caused many an éngage  (fur trade employee, i.e., voyageur) to carry three or four” (p. 24)   Being a voyageur was dangerous despite their rugged credentials. Drowning was common, along with cuts, bruises, broken bones, and hernias:

“So much lifting and carrying proved a strain to all but the toughest, and many a bruised foot and wrenched ankle were the result of nearly every portage. Hernia; was very prevalent among voyageurs and not infrequently caused death.” (Nute, 1931, p. 46).

While Indigenous women were rarely employed as voyageurs, they played an integral part in the fur trade in numerous other ways. When travelling on expeditions alongside voyageurs (often to whom they were married “à la façon du pays”  or “according to the custom of the country” (a marriage not formalized by Christian rite)), women produced clothing, harvested and prepared food, and at times acted as interpreters, guides, and liaisons. “They were indeed very active contributors, taking on even the most laborious duties when needed. In his 1771 journal, HBC employee and explorer Samuel Hearne remarks about such women, suggesting that “one of them can carry, or haul, as much as two men can do. They also pitch our tents, make and mend our clothing, keep us warm at night; and in fact, there is no such thing as travelling any considerable distance, or for any length of time, in this country, without their assistance” (Duhamel, 2020, para. 18).

The Colonial Legacy

Indigenous peoples both adapted to and resisted the maelstrom of changes brought on by colonization. They would continue to do so throughout the fur trade and early industrial era, as settler-colonial authority expanded to facilitate land acquisition, stifling land-based customs including hunting and harvesting practices. In fact, following Canada’s confederation in 1867, laws and acts of parliament were passed prohibiting many traditional food-centred practices and forcing Indigenous peoples onto reserves, often with infertile or unworkable lands.

In 1876 the Indian Act was introduced, subsuming a number of colonial policies that sought to extinguish Indigenous lifeways, which were wrongly perceived as inferior and uncivilized. The Indian Act was then amended in 1920, mandating that Indigenous children between the ages of seven and sixteen years attend residential boarding schools. The goal of the residential school system was to remove and isolate children from the influence of their families, communities, and cultures. To “kill the Indian in the child” and assimilate them into Euro-Canadian society. Due to the abhorrent living conditions and unimaginable abuse at the residential schools (which in some cases included the deliberate malnutrition of students), sometimes the child themselves died:

“In addition to the cultural and social effects of being forcibly displaced, many children suffered physical, sexual, psychological, and/or spiritual abuse while attending the schools, which has had enduring effects including, health problems, substance abuse, mortality/suicide rates, criminal activity, and disintegration of families and communities. Moreover, many of the residential schools were severely underfunded, providing poor nutrition and living conditions for children in their care, leading to illness and death.” (Wilk et al., 2017, p. 2)

Comparably poor conditions manifested in Indigenous communities and reserves as well, which contributed to disproportionate rates of tuberculosis throughout the 1930s and 1940s. Moreover, the loss of land-based, physical culture lifeways as a result of ongoing colonialistic processes, diminished opportunities for sustained physical activity. And as the 20th century proceeded, additional health issues arose with lifestyles becoming more sedentary and diets changing to include more processed foods. It was the cumulative effects of this tumultuous post-contact history that debilitated Indigenous physical culture practices and lifeways. The consequences on modern Indigenous health and well-being, as will be discussed in greater detail in Stepping Stones 5 and 6, have been extremely severe.

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Wellness Break

Métis Voyageurs and other canoe-men of the Fur Trade sang songs that helped them to both maintain a consistent paddling rhythm and keep their spirits up during long journeys.

Listen to a song that enlivens your spirits and feel free to move about before continuing on with the Stepping Stone.

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Stepping Stone 2 Summary

Whether played to instill life skills, for the purpose of fun, or in competition – Indigenous peoples have played their own sports and games since time immemorial. Such physical activities were and continue to be a uniting force in empowering Indigenous communities to come together. The contributions of Indigenous peoples to sport are numerous and still visible across Turtle Island today. Sport on the other hand has also been used by colonial powers as an instrument of assimilation. Movement and health professionals may become better equipped to work with modern Indigenous populations by developing an appreciation for these historical and culturally-relevant dynamics of sport, games, and competitions.

Wholistic Learning Objectives

Stepping Stone 3 provides learners an opportunity to become acquainted with the historical significance and modern evolution of sport, games, and competition within Indigenous cultures. Learners will also explore the role of mainstream sport within Indigenous communities and in Indian Residential schools.

Upon completion of Stepping Stone 3, learners should be able to:

*click through all 5 slides to read each of the wholistic learning objectives*

Sport in Post-Contact Turtle Island

Indigenous sporting practices and many other physical culture activities were repressed following first contact as communities slowly came under the effective control of colonial laws and oppressive customs. By the nineteenth century, most traditional sports, games, and competitions had largely been displaced by imposed settler-colonial conceptions of leisure and recreation. This was done deliberately to bring about a fundamental shift in the values and behaviours of Indigenous people, as it was thought that participation in settler-colonial activities would contribute to their gradual assimilation into the main body politic. The intent was to breakdown cultural and traditional connections by enforcing interest in mainstream settler-colonial activities such as baseball or hockey rather than Indigenous activities such as drum-dancing or lacrosse. Although Indigenous people were forced into the mainstream sporting activities that were introduced over the course of colonization, they often used them as mechanisms for self and community empowerment. For example, “sports days” emerged as colonially accepted forms of social organization for Indigenous peoples following the passage of the Indian Act in 1876. It was hoped that these “sports days” would facilitate an understanding of settler-colonial activities as superior while positioning Indigenous activities as inferior and undesirable. However, Indigenous people leveraged “sports days” to challenge and resist colonial agendas, treating them as opportunities to gather without raising the suspicions of the assigned Indian agent (Forsyth, 2007). Indigenous people also found ways to blend settler-colonial or Euro-Canadian activities within their traditional ones. The Métis for instance developed jigging – a unique dance that combines the intricate footwork of traditional dancing with the instruments and form of Euro-Canadian music (Métis Nation of Ontario, n.d.). Despite mainstream sport being implicated in Canada’s history of assimilation, Indigenous people would ultimately reconceptualize settler-colonial ways of play and competition into meaningful opportunities that bolstered their cultural identities.

Sport and Residential Schooling

Sports were a major part of the Residential School system; a network of mandatory, government-sponsored religious boarding schools where Indigenous children were sent to be indoctrinated into Canadian society. Canada’s most aggressive attempt to erase Indigenous culture, language, and traditions was committed through this colonial and oppressive system of schooling. In these hostile environments, sport was employed once again as a tool for colonization and assimilation. Within Residential Schools, Indigenous physical culture activities were forbidden and replaced with conventional activities such as baseball, basketball, soccer, and hockey. In a 2018 article published by the University of Manitoba, director of First Nations Studies in the Faculty of Social Science at Western University, Janice Forsyth links Euro-Canadian sport to Residential School assimilation processes :

Built into it (sport) are ways of prioritizing values and beliefs that may not be part of Indigenous cultural heritage… If you shift the lens a bit, and instead see sport as a cultural activity that teaches and reinforces cultural values and beliefs, it’s not hard to see how sport has been implicated in the history of cultural transformation. In Residential Schools especially, it was used as a tool to instill dominant values and beliefs in the students who went there (University of Manitoba, 2018, paras. 6-7).

Although some Residential Schools had colonial recreation programs for detained students, these programs were usually underfunded and undersupplied. Underfunding was extremely common at Residential Schools in general, resulting in high rates of illnesses or diseases, and poor nutrition and living conditions. The negative and traumatic experiences of those who endured or survived an education within the Residential School system were documented by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) in its 2015 final report. The survivors’ testimonies of truth published therein suggest that participation in organized school sports offered some students a measure of respite from their dire circumstances away from family and community, and “gave them a sense of identity, accomplishment, and pride (TRC, 2015, p. 199).” In that same report, the TRC released 94 “Calls to Action” to redress the legacy of Residential Schools and to initiate the process of reconciliation in Canada. Five of the TRC’s Calls of Action relate specifically to sport in Canada:

1. 87. We call upon all levels of government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, sports halls of fame, and other relevant organizations, to provide public education that tells the national story of Aboriginal athletes in history.

1. 88. We call upon all levels of government to take action to ensure long-term Aboriginal athlete development and growth, and continued support for the North American Indigenous Games, including funding to host the games and for provincial and territorial team preparation and travel.

1. 89. We call upon the federal government to amend the Physical Activity and Sport Act to support reconciliation by ensuring that policies to promote physical activity as a fundamental element of health and well-being, reduce barriers to sports participation, increase the pursuit of excellence in sport, and build capacity in the Canadian sport system, are inclusive of Aboriginal peoples.

1. 90. We call upon the federal government to ensure that national sports policies, programs, and initiatives are inclusive of Aboriginal peoples, including, but not limited to, establishing:

i. In collaboration with provincial and territorial governments, stable funding for, and access to, community sports programs that reflect the diverse cultures and traditional sporting activities of Aboriginal peoples.

ii. An elite athlete development program for Aboriginal athletes.

iii. Programs for coaches, trainers, and sports officials that are culturally relevant for Aboriginal peoples.

iv. Anti-racism awareness and training programs.

1. 91. We call upon the officials and host countries of international sporting events such as the Olympics, Pan Am, and Commonwealth games to ensure that Indigenous peoples’ territorial protocols are respected, and local Indigenous communities are engaged in all aspects of planning and participating in such events (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015, p. 10)

Governments and sporting officials are currently working to address these Calls to Action as a means of reconciling with Indigenous peoples in Canada.  It remains unclear how or when the TRC’s Calls to Action will be fully implemented.

 

Sporting and Cultural Competitions

Participation in both traditional and mainstream sports has become a way through which Indigenous peoples can celebrate their rich and diverse cultural heritages. It also provides an opportunity for Indigenous youth to exercise, engage in teamwork, relieve stress, and learn resilience when faced with challenging situations. These and other benefits of athletic competition are promoted at events like the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG)–one of the most significant sporting and cultural events for the First Peoples of Turtle Island.

While the vision to hold a competition exclusively for Indigenous athletes began to take shape as early as the 1970s, the very first NAIG event would not occur until 1990, in Edmonton, Alberta (North American Indigenous Games, n.d.). The Games have been staged intermittently since then, bringing together competitors from all over Canada, as well as from 13 regions in the United States. Gold, silver, and bronze medals were awarded in fourteen different sports categories (3-D archery, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, canoe/kayak, golf, lacrosse, rifle shooting, soccer, softball, swimming, volleyball, and wrestling) at the 2017 NAIG in Toronto, Ontario. The next iteration of NAIG was planned for July 2020 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq Nation. It was set to host 5,000 athletes in what would have been the largest multi-sport event ever hosted in Atlantic Canada, but the event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of this publication, the tenth NAIG is scheduled to take place in 2023 in Halifax.

Various other athletic competitions have been developed by Indigenous peoples, including the World Indigenous Games (which involves Indigenous athletes from all over the world), the Arctic Winter Games (which brings together circumpolar peoples residing in communities from throughout the Arctic), and the NYO Games (previously known as the Native Youth Olympics). Indigenous peoples also compete at smaller scale, local community events or tournaments. The Métis for example, honour their fur trade ancestors by holding Voyageur Games, which test the bodily and mental rigor of competitors. There are also competitive pow wows where dancers – motivated by the challenge and physicality of dance – come together to contend for honours and prizes. Competing in dances like fancy dance, fancy shawl, and grass dance, as with any aerobic endeavour, requires a high level of cardiovascular fitness, agility, and athleticism.  Having ties to traditional or cultural physical activity competitions also require respectful knowledge transformation from Elders or Knowledge Keepers from the community to engage, practice, and compete.

Warm-up Activity

It can be tempting to skip your warm-up and move quickly into thinking about health and wellness promotion that is inclusive of traditional activities. Like missing your warm-up before engaging in exercise, this may result in less than ideal outcomes. Community and family concepts must be developed together with Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, some of whom are also health professionals. It is valuable to take the strengths from Traditional and Western medicine practices to create current health and wellness concepts and practices. 

Two-Eyed Seeing Approach

In Stepping Stone 5, we leap back in time to find the cultural and traditional practices over the generations, weaving them into future practices that include the Two-Eyed Seeing approach discussed in Stepping Stone 4, as well as in the activity below. Throughout this Stepping Stone, we will discuss Indigenous people’s diverse concepts of health and wellness. 

Embracing Indigenous Ways of Knowing 

Hoop Dancing

In this next part of Stepping Stone 5, we are going to explore one important physical activity that radiates connectivity to health and wellness in some Indigenous communities- hoop dancing. Hoop dancing is a traditional physical activity, and it highlights connections between wholistic health and wellness. 

Indigenous Perspectives on Health

In Stepping Stone 5, we discussed the importance of connection to culture and traditions to develop the concepts of wholistic health and wellness, with a primary focus on the importance of physical activity for balance.  Here, we will continue exploring the connections to cultural strength and traditions, in addition to ties to well-being, and self-determination.

Cultural continuity is an important aspect of establishing health and wellness within the individual, the family and the community.  Cultural continuity acknowledges the ties to Indigenous history and ways of knowing, and has been recognized as an integral part of healing since the onset of colonization (Krieg, 2016).

The Bourke (2018) review highlights that the connections to Indigenous culture and traditions are the most important force for health and wellness for Indigenous communities:

“The literature largely reports that culture is significantly and positively associated with physical health, social and emotional wellbeing, and reduces risk-taking behaviours.” (Bourke et al., 2018, p. 12).

In this Stepping Stone, we will further explore cultural practices, and reflect on the intersections of culture, health and wellness. Currently, one of the predominant barriers to practicing culture and Indigenous ways of knowing in the colonial institutions is systemic racism (Roach & McMillan, 2022). To empower Indigenous community members to increase connection to cultural practices, there must also be freedom to practice self-determination. In fact, being able to freely practice self-determination through establishing individual wholistic aspirations is associated with positive health and wellness outcomes.

In the spirit of “Truth and Reconciliation”, we need to be inclusive of the healing experience for Nations and generations when exploring the TRC (2015) of Canada’s 94 Calls to Action. Specifically, when viewing the Truth component of TRC, we need to be cognizant that there are Indian Residential Survivors. However, there are many Indigenous people who did not survive colonization or the Indian Residential School systems. When reflecting back through the 156 years of colonization of Indigenous communities, we must acknowledge the resilience of the Indigenous peoples and the ability and fortitude they possess to save many of their languages with ties to Indigenous ways of Knowing for cultural health and wellness practices.

However, it must be noted that much was lost. Many communities and languages are now extinct, and some equate this terrible history to cultural genocide- a concept you were introduced to during this Stepping Stone’s Warm-Up. It is during this period of Reconciliation and the formal reclamation of health and wellness that the inclusion of diverse Indigenous cultural practices and continuity of wellness will be explored.

One challenge with implementing the TRC’s (2015) Calls to Action is that the Indian Act still exists. It is very difficult to make progress while there are still communities on-reserve, and most First Nations people do not have self-governance.

In addition to other negative social and contextual forces, the continued harmful impacts of colonization make the social determinants of health increasingly prevalent in Indigenous communities. Since the closure of Indian Residential Schools, there has been a quest for healing by Indigenous people. However, some traumas may have been too significant, and have left a lasting impact, making the ability to be at peace and hopes of a complete resurgence difficult to achieve.

Within the Western healthcare system, some Indigenous people have access to Indigenous patient Navigators or Liaisons who support community members with health literacy, family support, and advocacy with health professionals (Hiscock et al., 2022).

Exploring cultural practices should be done with the Indigenous community where you originate from.  If you are not Indigenous, exploring cultural practices should still be done within the traditional territory where you live, work or play. Knowledge of cultural practices may be gained by engaging and building relationships with local Indigenous people, Elders and Knowledge Keepers.

The true history of Indigenous cultural trauma is necessary to learn about, but it is also a tough and heavy topic to navigate.

Take a moment to have some quiet time, and put on some sounds of nature:

Allow yourself some time to absorb the information that has been presented to you in this Stepping Stone.

Indigenous concepts of health and wellness are connected to individual and community self-determination. Promoting cultural continuity in all components of health and wellness services creates the opportunity for self-determination. Therefore, when reviewing the Western health care system it is valuable to determine how and where Indigenous cultural practices are included. In addition, it is important that there are Indigenous patient Navigators or Liaisons to ensure cultural safety within the health care system. Increasing access to cultural and healing practices for community members improves wholistic health and wellness. Each Indigenous community has ties to languages and ways of sharing cultural health and wellness practices.

In the next Stepping Stone, we will reflect on the importance of Indigenous Sporting Competitions and Physical Cultural Celebrations.

Using what you learned throughout this Stepping Stone, consider the following questions.

While it may be tempting to jump ahead to focus on sports competition and the successes of Indigenous people within mainstream games, it is valuable to first consider the family-centered approach which encompasses physical culture celebrations and the ties to health and wellness. When building on historical, cultural and traditional practices, it is important to reflect and acknowledge ties to the land, sustenance, and any community’s physical culture.

Celebrations are a time for people to gather to express gratitude and recognize strengths and successes of a community or family. Celebrations are events that take place in settings suitable for traditional practices, whether they are indoor or outdoor cultural spaces.

Before you continue on your journey through this Stepping Stone take a moment to: 

North American Indigenous Games (NAIG)

The first North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) was held in 1990, in Edmonton, Alberta. Since 1990, there have been 11 NAIG events, and the 12th NAIG games will be held in 2023. In 2023 NAIG is expecting over 5,000 athletes who represent more than 700 Nations to participate.

Take a moment to look at the NAIG 2023 Medal Designs:

• Medal design unveiled for upcoming North American Indigenous Games
• NAIG 2023 Medal Design

There are 16 mainstream sports represented at NAIG, and some sports like lacrosse, canoe/kayak or 3-D archery have ties to traditional games. The represented sports include:

• 

  3-D Archery

• Athletics
• Badminton
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Beach Volleyball
• Canoe
• Kayak
• Golf
• Lacrosse
• Rifle shooting
• Soccer
• Softball
• Swimming
• Volleyball
• Wrestling

Along with the NAIG event, there are cultural activities to bring Nations together from across Turtle Island. There has been representation at games from 55 regions on Turtle Island. The NAIG games highlight the ties of sports to self-determination and cultural activities.

Indigenous people on Turtle Island have been champions in physical activity for thousands of years to survive off of the land. This physical prowess is passed on from generation to generation.  Prior to the competitive mainstream sports that we know today, the original people were successfully shaping their villages and homes with hard physical labour that changed with the needs of each season and generation.  There would be people in the villages who excelled in physical accomplishments such as:

• War canoe battles
• Archery or spear throwing while hunting
• Harvesting large trees for homes or canoes
• Being a transient tribe that moved entire communities to be closer to food sources for harvest in spring or summer.

There are many Indigenous stories about physical achievements tied to power, strength, endurance, and other attributes that make great athletes or champions regardless of sex and/or gender or abilities. There are also some well-recognized athletes on Turtle Island that have excelled in movement and this Stepping Stone will highlight some of these past and present successes in physical movement for Indigenous peoples.  As we move to the end of the Stepping Stones in this resource, it is important to recognize that the history of Indigenous people’s achievements is seldom recorded in written articles or photographs. This is due to colonization, and as such, there is a disconnect between achievements in Indigenous communities compared to what is featured in the news.  All accomplishments of Indigenous people in movement – whether recorded formally or not –  are positive, reverent, and meaningful.  As this resource is a living document, we invite you to contribute and share more successes and continue to build the story.  However, the current Stepping Stone is restricted to what is shared on the World Wide Web for reading, seeing and hearing.

Stepping Stone 8 provides learners an opportunity to reflect on the past and present Indigenous people’s achievements in movement that include traditional sports and mainstream sport competitions.

Upon completion of Stepping Stone 8, learners should be able to:

As discussed in Stepping Stone 7, prior to colonization, there was competition within and between Indigenous communities that resulted in successes that were seen as individual, team, or community achievements.  Physical achievements in movement translated into feelings of success, recognition, and championship, but these physical challenges also supported training for life competition; to survive and to sustain the community way of life.

Sports competition existed before colonization, however, the settlers introduced new physical competitions and ways to recognize success in local, regional, national, and international games, tournaments, and events.  During colonization and Indian residential school dominance, sport competition was a part of community activities. Through sport during this time, some Indigenous athletes may have found a place to associate with others, creating stronger connections within the new education, recreation, or sport systems that were forced upon them. The ability to participate in sporting events may have provided a place to connect with one’s warrior spirit again, and have a sense of community.

Watch: Our Ancestors Were Athletes (43:58)

• The World Indigenous Nations Games
• The Arctic Winter Games
• North American Indigenous Games
•  Voyageur Games
• Masters Indigenous Games

There are also regional events that may be organized by mainstream sport organizations where Indigenous people shine with success.  Traditional Indigenous celebrations offer other examples of achievement in movement.  For example, there are elite dancers in powwow, jingle dress, drumming, jigging, hoop, fancy, grass dance, and so on.  Furthermore, there are Indigenous community events where traditional sports or other movement activities are celebrated and participants’ achievements are recognized but not necessarily medaled.  All successes in movement must be celebrated; from an Indigenous way of knowing, physical achievements may not be accomplished without recognizing the other wholistic components and ties to spiritual, emotional, and mental wellness.  It is important to consider that achievement in movement may be tied to “walking the talk” and having integrity with actions, thoughts, words, and beliefs.  Achievement in movement may also be a physical skill or test that elicits endurance, stamina, strength, power, agility, flexibility, balance, speed, coordination, or accuracy.  Achievements in movement may be individual or team-based, age-specific, be connected to a person’s sex or gender, categorized by level or abilities, and have ties to community or national origin.  However, all achievements in movement are to be celebrated, from a child learning to ride a bike to an Elder who has passed on the teachings of drum dancing.

Reflect on a time that you may have had achievements in physical movement, and when your goals were realized, how did you feel physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally?

Take this time to write down or share what physical activity or event you participated in. What motivated you to compete?

Are you still involved in this type of physical movement (sport, activity, etc.)? If you can, find time in the short-term to engage with this physical movement again. Even if it is modified, changed, or altered, see if you can reconnect with your self-identified successes in physical activity.