University of Windsor Scholarship at UWindsor Electronic Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Major Papers 1-1-2009 What is the spirit of our gathering? Self-determination and indigenous sport policy in Canada. Braden Paora Te Hiwi University of Windsor Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd Recommended Citation Te Hiwi, Braden Paora, "What is the spirit of our gathering? Self-determination and indigenous sport policy in Canada." (2009). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 7163. https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/7163 This online database contains the full-text of PhD dissertations and Masters’ theses of University of Windsor students from 1954 forward. These documents are made available for personal study and research purposes only, in accordance with the Canadian Copyright Act and the Creative Commons license—CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivative Works). 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Self-Determination and Indigenous Sport Policy in Canada. by Braden Paora Te Hiwi A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies through the Faculty of Human Kinetics in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Human Kinetics at the University of Windsor Windsor, Ontario, Canada 2009 © 2009 Braden Paora Te Hiwi Library and Archives Bib!ioth6que et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de l'6dition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-57605-2 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-57605-2 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non- support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1*1 Canada iii Author's Declaration of Originality I hereby certify that I am the sole author of this thesis and that no part of this thesis has been published or submitted for publication. I certify that, to the best of my knowledge, my thesis does not infringe upon anyone's copyright nor violate any proprietary rights and that any ideas, techniques, quotations, or any other material from the work of other people included in my thesis, published or otherwise, are fully acknowledged in accordance with the standard referencing practices. Furthermore, to the extent that I have included copyrighted material that surpasses the bounds of fair dealing within the meaning of the Canada Copyright Act, I certify that I have obtained a written permission from the copyright owner(s) to include such material(s) in my thesis and have included copies of such copyright clearances to my appendix. I declare that this is a true copy of my thesis, including any final revisions, as approved by my thesis committee and the Graduate Studies office, and that this thesis has not been submitted for a higher degree to any other University or Institution. IV ABSTRACT In this study I examined how government policies relating to sports and physical activity played a role in promoting self-determination for Indigenous Canadians. Firstly, I investigated eight recent sport policies and documents at the federal/national level (1992-2005) to help understand how sport policy is affecting self-determination. Drawing upon Chalip's (1995) critical policy analysis, I argued that sport policy affecting Indigenous peoples both promoted and constrained self-determination. Although the policy documents have led to an increase in opportunities to direct sport for Native peoples, they have done so by undercutting a rights-based argument for Native self-determination. Secondly, I conducted six interviews with Native sport policy makers in order to explore their thoughts and experiences about self-determination within sport policy development. My analysis of these discussions showed that Native identity is crucial to self-determination, and that building relationships with government officials presents a key basis for the development of effective sport policies for Native Canadians. DEDICATION To my grandparents - grandma, nana, and koro - to whom giving back is such a privilege. Me te aroha nui ki a koutou katoa vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Although some people might see a thesis as an individual project, I see it as a necessarily collective endeavour - albeit channeled through myself. It is guided by and lived through the histories of those before us, the lives of those I connect with, and those who are yet to come. It is a process necessarily held together by many sets of relationships, all contributing to this work in ways I could never fully know. I feel this work thus has many co-contributors, of whom I will only name a few. Yet, to be sure, I am the only one who holds the responsibility for this work. I would like to acknowledge my ancestors, grandparents, uncles, aunties, cousins and friends, and in particular my mum, dad and sister who have always provided me with the support and belief to be the person I am today. All of your contributions have been both small and significant, and I appreciate them all greatly. And I would like to thank those who remain at home, keeping the ahi ka burning, for without you there would be no home for me to do the work I do abroad. Without you, this work would not be possible. I would like to thank my wife, Jennie, for all of her support in allowing me to move down my own path. Giving me the gift to grow as a person is the kind of gift that can never be repaid, yet this will not stop me trying. Without you, this work would not be possible. I would like to acknowledge Vicky and all of her help, and most of all for being herself in all that she does. Thank you. Without you, this work would not be possible. vii I would like to acknowledge the interview participants, for taking the time out of their busy lives to share their stories and thoughts, for letting me get to know you (if only a little bit), and to help give a young student like myself a chance to do this research. Thank you. I would like to thank Dr. Shelagh Towson and Dr. Laura Misener for their efforts, insights, and for helping to make the process a very positive one. Thank you. For those who have fought and are fighting for the lives and rights of Indigenous peoples. Thank you. Without your efforts, this work would not be possible. I would like to acknowledge Gary Davies for our many conversations, in which you helped me to gather the courage I needed to start a graduate degree. Thank you. I would also like to thank the Department of Human Kinetics, the faculty, and the staff for giving me this opportunity. Thank you. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS AUTHOR'S DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY iii ABSTRACT iv DEDICATION v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS x LIST OF APPENDICES xi TRANSLATION AND DESCRIPTION OF MAORI WORDS xii CHAPTER 1. Introduction: Introduction and Statement of the Problem 1 Operational Definitions 5 Assumptions 7 Location 13 2. Review of Literature Sovereignty, Self-Determination, and Self-Government. 27 The Shaping of Indigenous Peoples through Policy in Canada, 1970-2007..... .......................39 Shaping Self-Determination in Sport through Federal Sport Policy in Canada, 1950-2005... 47 3. Research Framework: Indigenous Peoples and Research 63 Theoretical and Practical Justifications 64 Indigenous Worldviews, Values, and Customs 66 Indigenous Methodologies 71 Limitations and Delimitations. 75 4. Policy analysis: Data Collection and Methods .81 Results 86 Discussion and Conclusion 97 ix 5. Interview Analysis: Data Collection and Methods 113