“Unlike their Playmates of Civilization, the Indian Children’s Recreation must be Cultivated and Developed”:The Administration of Physical Education at Pelican Lake Indian Residential School, 1926–1944

• Published in: Historical Studies in Education / Revue d'histoire de l'éducation
• Main Author: Te Hiwi, Braden Paora
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian History of Education Association / Association canadienne d'histoire de l'éducation 2017
• Subjects: physical culture; First Nations; Indian residential school; Pelican Lake; citizenship; citoyenneté; éducation physique; pensionnat autochtone; sport; Premières Nations; Indian
• Online Access: http://historicalstudiesineducation.ca/index.php/edu_hse-rhe/article/view/4468; https://doi.org/10.32316/hse/rhe.v29i1.4468

ABSTRACT A large body of literature about the residential school system has helped to promote a national awareness and discourse on the issue, but relatively little is known about physical education within that system. This article traces the administrative intent and implementation of physical education—namely sport, exercise, and recreation—at Pelican Lake Indian Residential School from 1926 to 1944. The concept of “citizenship education” was used to focus this study on the ways in which school administrators sought to civilize the students by developing par- ticular ideals of citizenship. Administrators attempted to use physical education as a means to impart character traits, such as self-discipline and good sportspersonship, along with the desire to promote “civilized” ideas about healthy activity. Seemingly trivial elements of residential school life, such as ball games or running races, were part of a broader Indian policy vision that sought the cultural, and, ultimately, the political, assimilation of Indigenous peoples.RÉSUMÉ Plusieurs études sur les pensionnats autochtones ont contribué au développement d’une conscience et d’un discours national sur cette question, mais on connait toutefois relativement peu de chose au sujet de l’éducation physique dans le système. Cet article examine l’intention administrative et la mise en place de l’éducation physique—à savoir le sport, l’exercice et les loisirs — au pensionnat indien de Pelican Lake entre 1926 et 1944. Le concept « d’éducation à la citoyenneté » a été utilisé afin de centrer cette étude sur la façon dont les administrateurs du pensionnat ont cherché à civiliser les élèves en développant des modèles particuliers de citoyenneté. Les administrateurs ont cherché à utiliser l’éducation physique comme un moyen de transmettre des traits de caractère, tels que l’autodiscipline et l’esprit sportif, ainsi que le désir de promouvoir des idées « civilisées » sur les saines habitudes. Ainsi, des éléments de la vie au pensionnat en apparence sans importance, ...