Reclaiming Tom Longboat

Reclaiming Tom Longboat recounts the much-needed history of Indigenous sport in Canada through the lens of the prestigious Tom Longboat Awards, shedding light on a significant yet overlooked aspect of Canadian policy and Crown-Indigenous relations. Drawing on a rich and varied set of oral and textual sources, including interviews with award recipients and Jan Eisenhardt, the creator of the Awards himself, Janice Forsyth critically assesses the state’s role in policing Indigenous bodies and identities through sport, from assimilationist sporting regulations in residential schools to the present-day exclusion of Aboriginal activities from mainstream sports. This work recognizes the role of sport as a colonial device, while also acknowledging its potential to become a tool of decolonization and self-determination.