The Creator’s Game: Lacrosse, Identity, and Indigenous Nationhood
with Allan Downey
The game of lacrosse has been a central element of many Indigenous cultures for centuries, but once non-Indigenous players entered the sport, it became a site of appropriation – then reclamation – of Indigenous identities.
In this talk, Allan Downey will share the history of lacrosse in Indigenous communities from the 1860s to the 1990s and explore Indigenous-non-Indigenous relations and Indigenous identity formation. While the game was being stripped of its cultural and ceremonial significance and being appropriated to construct a new identity for the nation-state of Canada, it was also being used by Indigenous peoples for multiple ends: to resist residential school experiences; initiate pan-Indigenous political mobilization; and articulate Indigenous sovereignty and nationhood on the world stage.
Allan Downey
Allan Downey is Dakelh, Nak’azdli Whut’en, and an associate professor in the Department of History and Indigenous Studies Program at McMaster University. Allan was a recent recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship to Columbia University where he continued to advance his research focused on the history of Indigenous nationhood, sovereignty, and self-determination. Beyond his research and teaching activities, one of Allan’s greatest passions is working with Indigenous youth and he volunteers for several Indigenous communities and youth organizations throughout the year.