The Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education’s new Indigenous space is now complete.
The lab, named Onkwanaktí:io (Our Nice Inclusive Space in Kanien’kéha, or Mohawk), was launched last fall. However, the last element, a huge mural celebrating Indigenous athletes, including Olympians, was installed over the holidays.
“The space is designed to support Indigenous students in Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE), as well as graduate students involved in Indigenous-centred research,” explained Jordan Koch, Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education. “It functions as an incubator, fostering research, facilitating the exchange of ideas and cultivating a sense of community.”
The space is located on the second floor of the McGill Sports Complex.
“There is a pressing need for this. Indigenous students are still underrepresented in KPE. Now that we are up and running, we hope this space will help break down some of the barriers and let Indigenous students know they have a home here,” he said.
“This project was initiated seven years ago by me; Alex McComber, from the Department of Family Medicine; and Lee Schaefer, now at the University of Saskatchewan. But there were some bumps along the way, including COVID,” said Koch.
‘Part of the healing work’
This is the second subject-specific Indigenous space launched at McGill. In 2022, the University’s Department of Family Medicine inaugurated a space dedicated to activities around Indigenous health and community outreach within the health sector.
These initiatives align with McGill’s 52 Calls to Action in which the University has committed to providing suitable cultural spaces for Indigenous students, staff and faculty, and suitable living and study environments for Indigenous students.
“This is part of the healing work, for the Academy to create and support these spaces. It is acknowledgment of the importance of Indigenous scholarship,” said McComber, who played an important role in the establishment of both.
“The two spaces also give us a chance to crossover and ask how can we bring kinesiology and med students together? What are the commonalities? What are the things that they all need to learn and what can they learn and share from each other?”
Hand-carved table depicts Indigenous sports
Owisokon Lahache, a Haudenosaunee Mohawk artist and Matriarch of the Turtle Clan, created the mural and a hand-carved wooden table that serves as the centrepiece of the lab.
Based on the Medicine Wheel, the table is divided into four sections, with a variety of Indigenous sports carved into the tabletop.
“Because this is sports and kinesiology and how we move and how we relate to each other, at first I thought I would include hockey and other sports that are currently popular,” said Lahache, who served as McGill’s Indigenous Knowledge Holder in 2023. “But we have our own sports that are part of our natural way of living; things that we competed in and things that we did together to support family and support culture and support each other.”
Archery, for example, is much more than a sport, said Lahache. It is symbolic of hunting and, as such, it represents the interconnectedness of the natural world.
“It’s the relationship we have with all things, and how animals give themselves as sacrifice to help people,” she said.
Celebrating Indigenous success
A huge mural leads visitors to the lab, celebrating the accomplishments of Indigenous Olympians. Some, like Carey Price and Theo Fleury, both NHLers who won Olympic gold for Canada, are well known. Others, though less famous, are just as accomplished.
There is Tom Longboat, an Onondaga distance runner, who, in 1907, became the first Indigenous person to win the Boston Marathon. Longboat represented Canada in the 1908 Olympics.
There is Colette Bourgonje, who is of Métis heritage. Bourgonje is a 10-time Paralympian and one of the most decorated Canadian athletes of all time, with six winter Paralympic medals and four summer Paralympic medals.
Waneek Horn-Miller is also featured on the mural. Horn-Miller, a Mohawk from Kahnawake, was co-captain of Canada’s first Olympic women’s water polo team and a gold medallist in water polo at the 1999 Pan American Games. She later served as co-ordinator of McGill’s First Peoples’ House.
“Everybody who uses this space is involved in a sport, is Indigenous or is involved in kinesiology and movement. Everybody who comes here has a dream,” said Lahache. “The mural honours Indigenous people who followed their dreams.”
