Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 4

    Rationale:

Sport and recreation exists in Aboriginal communities in a variety of different formats. Sport and recreation includes the playing of traditional games, trapping, hunting, fishing, and includes participation in competitive sports. In the pre-contact era, trapping and hunting were the primary source of securing food. Males and females had their own recreational activities that varied across the tribes. Sport and recreation is a form of cultural expression and provided an important social aspect and helped develop group cohesiveness.  Competitive sports were often played as a way for Aboriginals to release stress and in many cases brought communities together.

It is important that students are introduced to some of the traditional activities and contemporary interests of Aboriginal people in Canada which are a reflection of how different Aboriginal communities functioned. 

Introductory Activity:

It may be possible to hypothesize that many of today’s students do not know that a variety of contemporary sports were derived or influenced from Aboriginal cultures across Canada.  For example, wrestling was a popular competitive sport amongst Plains Cree and Blackfoot Peoples. Field lacrosse is another example of a North American Aboriginal sport as this game was played in almost every Aboriginal community even though many variations of the game existed.

Using the KWL format, ask the students to identify what they KNOW about Aboriginal sports, WHAT they would like to know, and after all of the activities ask they what they have LEARNED.

To familiarize yourself with the many sports that were played by Aboriginal Peoples in Canada you may wish to refer to the following website: The Virtual Museum of Canada: The North American Indigenous Games Story

• http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/
  Traditions/English/history_games.html