<div dir="ltr"><div>All,</div><div>Please find below and attached Tom Fabian' review of Alan Downey, <i>The Creator's Game</i>.</div><div>Duncan</div><div><br></div><div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:200%;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><i><span style="font-size:11pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Palatino Linotype",serif">The
Creator’s Game: Lacrosse, Identity, and Indigenous Nationhood </span></i><span style="font-size:11pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Palatino Linotype",serif">by Alan Downey<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:200%;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Palatino Linotype",serif">Reviewed
by Tom Fabian, University of Ottawa<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:200%;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Palatino Linotype",serif"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:200%;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Palatino Linotype",serif">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.<span> </span>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.<span> </span>Even
sports, traditional games, and leisure activities have become a focal point for
Indigenous policy work and non-profit organizations.<span> </span>What Downey demonstrates <i>The Creator’s Game</i>
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.<span> </span>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.<span> </span>Indeed, in writing <i>The
Creator’s Game</i>, Downey has positioned himself as a leading voice in
Indigenous sport history.<span> </span><span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:200%;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Palatino Linotype",serif"><span> </span>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.<span>
</span>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.<span>
</span>Allegorical in nature, the playful narrative in these introductions –
reminiscent of Hofstadter’s <i>Gödel, Escher, Bach</i> – “help introduce
several issues while navigating the ambiguities, contradictions, and
uncertainties in the historical record” (24).<span>
</span>The core content of each chapter is thoroughly researched, with a robust
breadth of sources and usage of oral histories.<span>
</span>The insights and anecdotes throughout the book are both engaging and
educative.<span> </span>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.<span> </span>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).<span> </span>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.<span> </span>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.<span> </span>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.<span>
</span>In fact, the Nationals are the only non-sovereign nation to participate
in any world championships.<span> </span>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).<span> </span><span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:200%;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Palatino Linotype",serif"><span> </span>For all its wonderful qualities,
however, there were only two points of concern in<i>The Creator’s Game</i>.<span> </span>First, a few of sections seemed tacked on,
and underappreciated in the overall narrative.<span>
</span>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.<span>
</span>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.<span> </span>Granted, Downey
has discussed gender issues in Indigenous sport elsewhere (see: Downey, “Engendering
Nationality,” 2012).<span> </span>These structural
concerns, though, seem easily rectifiable in a second edition.<span> </span>The second point of concern is with the
framing of some of the interview questions posed to Indigenous community
members and Elders.<span> </span>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.<span> </span>Such as, on page 136, when
Downey prompts an interviewee: “So that just carries over to sports?”<span> </span>This type of leading question makes it seem
like the framework of the interview was not geared towards sport, or
lacrosse.<span> </span>The interviews, though, were
carefully conducted and well-presented, in general.<span> </span>This criticism is more to illuminate the fact
that <i>The Creator’s Game</i> is not just about lacrosse, but about Indigenous
identity and nationhood, as well.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:200%;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Palatino Linotype",serif"><span> </span>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.<span>
</span>Without listing statistics, glorifying players, or focusing on the
evolution of the sport, <i>The Creator’s Game</i> is an ideal text for
undergraduate classes on sport history, sport culture, or Indigenous
sport.<span> </span>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. <span></span></span></p>
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</div><div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">Remember to smell the roses as you recumber past<br><br>Duncan R. Jamieson, Ph. D.<br>Professor of History<br>Book Review Editor<br><i>AETHLON: The Journal of Sport Literature</i><br>Ashland University<br>Ashland, OH 44805<br>USA<br></div></div></div></div>