Reclamation and Indigenization - Impacts of the TRC on the Canada Games

An Indigenous representative during the closing ceremony of the 2007 Canada Winter Games.

Number 90(i) of the Calls of Action issued by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) outlines the need for “community sport programs that reflect the diverse cultures and traditional sporting activities of Indigenous peoples.”²³ The inclusion of lacrosse at the 2022 Summer Games is a direct result of this and four other Sports and Reconciliation calls to action. The Indigenous Partnership Council (IPC) was created for the Niagara 2022 Games and includes: representation from the Six Nations of the Grand River, Niagara Regional Native Friendship Centre, Fort Erie Friendship Centre, The Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Metis Nation of Ontario, NPAAMB, Inuit and Brock University, bringing Indigenous voices into the planning process as active collaborators.²⁴ Indigenous culture and representatives were not completely absent in prior games, however; at the 1967 Games a totem pole was featured – carved by three Kwakiutl individuals,²⁵ and at the 1975 Games the last hereditary Chief of the Kainai people (Blood Tribe), Jim Shot Both Sides, helped deliver the opening ceremony.²⁶

An athlete during the Inuit Swing Kick exhibition at the 2007 Canada Winter Games.

There is still a significant lack of research about the positive effects Indigenous sports can have, but that gap is steadily changing.²⁷ As Piers McDonald, President of the Host Society for the 2007 Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse, Yukon, said: “This is about the nation coming together in ways that are unique.”²⁸ Even before the TRC report came out in 2015, the Whitehorse Games found a way to help Indigenize the Canada Games. Arctic sports & Dene games, usually featured at the Arctic Winter Games, were included as exhibitions in Whitehorse. Examples like One-Foot-High Kick, Snow Snake, Kneel Jump, and Finger Pull, helped demonstrate the unique Dene culture and promoted Indigenous inclusion.²⁹ In the 2007 Games, the intense popularity of showcasing the Northern sport of Knuckle Hop prompted negotiations over how much media coverage was given to maintain exposure on the selected sports. Traditional sports like Knuckle Hop challenge the single-mindedness that sport in Canada can only be viewed one way: as a goal of performance competition, and athlete development.³⁰ What can be forgotten from professionalism is that sports should also be fun and inclusive. While Knuckle Hop is not formally featured in the Canada Games, lacrosse can bridge the gap and re-introduce Indigenous sports and culture to modern audiences.

Indigenous performers throat singing during the closing ceremony of the 2007 Canada Winter Games.

Indigenous elders can also play a significant role at the Games. For Indigenous athletes like swimmer Danielle Merasty at the 2009 Summer Games, having an elder available offered a sense of comfort and an invisible connection. As Danielle says, “She was so involved and so sweet. Very involved in the Aboriginal side of things. It was nice to talk to her about certain things, like if I was stressed out or if something happened, she would kind of open that spiritual side for me a little bit.”³¹

Indigenous performers during the closing ceremony at the 2007 Canada Winter Games.

The inclusion of the IPC and Aboriginal Sport Circle will try to take these concerns into consideration. They aim to build a Games that will be both inclusive to Indigenous participants and coaches³² and help reinforce Indigenous beliefs and recognition. Much like previous Games, the IPC and ASC will work closely on the Opening and Closing ceremonies, as well as promoting cultural facilities and celebrating lacrosse’s exciting return.