[ARETE] Downey, The Creator's Game

[Duncan Jamieson]

All,
Please find below and attached Tom Fabian' review of Alan Downey, *The
Creator's Game*.
Duncan

*The Creator’s Game: Lacrosse, Identity, and Indigenous Nationhood *by Alan
Downey

Reviewed by Tom Fabian, University of Ottawa



Alan Downey’s critically acclaimed book on the socio-cultural history of
lacrosse in Canada could not have been published at a more pivotal time.  Since
the operationalization of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
(2008-2015), Indigenous rights – encompassing identity, health,
environment, citizenship, and justice – have been at the fore in Canadian
politics.  Even sports, traditional games, and leisure activities have
become a focal point for Indigenous policy work and non-profit
organizations.  What Downey demonstrates *The Creator’s Game* is that the
history of lacrosse mirrors Indigenous-Canadian relations since the 1800s,
and, thus, there is much we can learn about settler-colonialism through the
lens of sport.  From the appropriation of lacrosse in the mid-1800s “and
subsequent popular texts infused with romantic portrayals of noble or
bloodthirsty savages, to the barring of Indigenous athletes and the
constant exclusion and institutionalized discrimination” (185), lacrosse
can be read as a text through which to better understand the story of
Canada.  Indeed, in writing *The Creator’s Game*, Downey has positioned
himself as a leading voice in Indigenous sport history.

            Although there are chapters covering a broad range of topics
related to lacrosse –performativity, residential schools, the West Coast
experience, box lacrosse, and the Iroquois Nationals (national team) – it
is impressive that Downey offers a continuous history, with each topic
presented chronologically.  Moreover, the introduction to each chapter
tactfully weaves Indigenous epistemologies with the topic at hand through
the tales of the Dakelh cultural hero and Trickster-Transformer
‘Usdas.  Allegorical
in nature, the playful narrative in these introductions – reminiscent of
Hofstadter’s *Gödel, Escher, Bach* – “help introduce several issues while
navigating the ambiguities, contradictions, and uncertainties in the
historical record” (24).  The core content of each chapter is thoroughly
researched, with a robust breadth of sources and usage of oral histories.  The
insights and anecdotes throughout the book are both engaging and educative.
For instance, the discussion on the racialization of Indigenous lacrosse
players as superior athletic specimens (79) can be likened to similar
racist overtones in the media portrayal of Black quarterbacks in the
National Football League today.  Similarly, Downey’s explanation of
residential school lacrosse is both academically astute and to the point:
“The claim to a national sport and the notion that lacrosse represented a
civilized Canadian identity became so pervasive that it was used to further
cultural genocide at residential schools” (87).  Then, of course, there is
also intrigue in the enthusiastic description and political analysis of the
1936 Mann Cup championships (157), a riveting series of events worthy of a
Hollywood script.  But it is the final chapter, about “Reclaiming the
Creator’s Game,” which best culminates the sordid history of appropriated
lacrosse and exemplifies the resurgence of Indigenous cultural heritage.  The
Iroquois Nationals are, quite literally, a national lacrosse team that
represents the Iroquois peoples at international matches and competitions,
including the World Lacrosse Championships.  In fact, the Nationals are the
only non-sovereign nation to participate in any world championships.  Their
very existence questions the authority of nation-states within broader
international affairs and, as Downey explains, their formation “created one
of the largest concerted, and arguably most visible, [Iroquois] and
Indigenous sovereignty movements in recent times” (211).

            For all its wonderful qualities, however, there were only two
points of concern in*The Creator’s Game*.  First, a few of sections seemed
tacked on, and underappreciated in the overall narrative.  An example is a
reference to the Oka Crisis (1990), a violent land dispute between the
Mohawk people and the government of Canada, which was briefly mentioned
just prior to the conclusion.  Another example is the section on women in
chapter 5, which is not mentioned elsewhere, includes random examples of
participation, and mostly discusses men’s teams.  Granted, Downey has
discussed gender issues in Indigenous sport elsewhere (see: Downey,
“Engendering Nationality,” 2012).  These structural concerns, though, seem
easily rectifiable in a second edition.  The second point of concern is
with the framing of some of the interview questions posed to Indigenous
community members and Elders.  Although ethical approval and consent were
likely granted for all interviews, there were, at times, leading questions
that strung lacrosse into a commentary on other topics.  Such as, on page
136, when Downey prompts an interviewee: “So that just carries over to
sports?”  This type of leading question makes it seem like the framework of
the interview was not geared towards sport, or lacrosse.  The interviews,
though, were carefully conducted and well-presented, in general.  This
criticism is more to illuminate the fact that *The Creator’s Game* is not
just about lacrosse, but about Indigenous identity and nationhood, as well.

            Downey’s oeuvre draws on Indigenous epistemologies, oral
histories, and archival sources to present an all-encompassing story of the
resilience and self-determination of Indigenous peoples through the sacred
sport of lacrosse.  Without listing statistics, glorifying players, or
focusing on the evolution of the sport, *The Creator’s Game* is an ideal
text for undergraduate classes on sport history, sport culture, or
Indigenous sport.  The playful chapter introductions, Indigenous
methodologies, and serious sport scholarship combine in a timely,
impactful, and much-needed book on Indigenous citizenship and nationhood in
the broader history of settler-colonial relations in Canada.


Remember to smell the roses as you recumber past

Duncan R. Jamieson, Ph. D.
Professor of History
Book Review Editor
*AETHLON: The Journal of Sport Literature*
Ashland University
Ashland, OH  44805
USA
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