Aboriginal Sport Circle

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The Indigenous peoples of North America have been involved in sports and recreational activities for almost as long as their cultures have been in existence. Before Europeans first stepped foot upon the New World’s soil, the indigenous peoples were competing with and against each other in athletic competitions such as archery, running, canoeing, hunting, fishing, horseback riding, and lacrosse among many other sports. In the textbook, Sports in American History: From Colonization to Globalization, “Native Americans led physically active lives in pursuits necessary to their sustenance and religious beliefs.” Whether their activities were for their spirituality, sustenance, battle preparations, or for entertainment; sports have been deeply integrated …show more content…

In 1995, the Aboriginal Sport Circle (ASC) was established as the national body for Aboriginal sport in Canada. “The ASC provides opportunities exclusively for the Aboriginal peoples of Canada as defined by the federal government through the Indian Act.” (C. R. King, Native Americans in Sport, pg. 2) This was created because aboriginal athletes and coaches were being limited in the greater Canadian Sports system. The book goes on to state, “The ASC focuses on the development of a domestic, segregated sports system for Aboriginal peoples, it also encourages and assists aboriginal athletes and coaches to takes advantage of opportunities within the larger Canadian Sport system.” (C.R. King, Native Americans in Sport, pg. 3) There have been many policies created by both the United States government and the Canadian government in order to assure that aboriginal peoples will be able to compete in sporting activities without being discriminated against and to compete in a way that reflects their culture. According to Sport Policy in Canada, “Sport Canada has three types of bilateral agreements with the provincial and territorial governments: generic agreements aimed at increasing sport participation; Aboriginal agreements meant to increase the capacity of provincial/territorial sport organizations in charge of Aboriginal sport and physical activity; and agreements to support team travel for participation in the North American Indigenous Games.” (Thibault, L., & Harvey, J. pg.58) The North American Indigenous Games is a multi-sport event that has been around since 1990, and allows indigenous athletes of North America to compete. Theses games take place every 3 years and alternate between location in the United States and Canada. The

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