Reclaiming Tom Longboat recounts the much-needed history of Indigenous sport in Canada through the lens of the prestigious Tom Longboat Awards, shedding light on a significant yet overlooked aspect of Canadian policy and Crown-Indigenous relations. Drawing on a rich and varied set of oral and textual sources, including interviews with award recipients and Jan Eisenhardt, the creator of the Awards himself, Janice Forsyth critically assesses the state’s role in policing Indigenous bodies and identities through sport, from assimilationist sporting regulations in residential schools to the present-day exclusion of Aboriginal activities from mainstream sports. This work recognizes the role of sport as a colonial device, while also acknowledging its potential to become a tool of decolonization and self-determination.

Janice Forsyth is a member of the Fisher River Cree First Nation and a professor in the Faculty of Education, School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia. She is a recognized leader in Indigenous sport development in Canada. Her research has generated significant national and international attention among scholars and practitioners, and several of her studies are included in the reports of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In 2017, she was elected to the College of the Royal Society of Canada for her contributions to research and advocacy.

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