Indigenous academic tackles colonialism through the lens of sport
What can rugby teach us about colonialism? Plenty, according to Brendan Hokowhitu.
“I always think sport is an interesting way to view the world. It can tell us a lot of things about how society works,” says Hokowhitu, dean of Native studies at the University of Alberta.
Hokowhitu, a native Māori of Ngāti Pukenga decent, will give a seminar called “Indigeneity, sport and physical activity: Colonialism, neo-colonialism and resistance” at the U of M this Friday, Feb. 6 at 2:30 p.m. in 136 Frank Kennedy Centre.
He likens his home country of New Zealand’s passion for rugby to Canada’s obsession with hockey. At the same time, he clarifies the difference between how rugby is perceived in New Zealand and other places where it’s popular. “In England, Rugby is more of an upper-class sport, in New Zealand it’s a working man’s game,” he says.
It is also a sport that has always accepted Māori men. “[This] doesn’t interrupt any stereotypes,” says Hokowhitu. For example, Māori men are generally seen as physical, making them a natural fit for rugby. That got Hokowhitu thinking: Is this an authentic characteristic of Māori men, or is the idea of physicality within Māori one produced by colonialism?
With this in mind, he began studying how Indigenous masculinities and deconstructing how colonization has limited Indigenous men.
While at the U of M, Hokowhitu will also join a roundtable discussion on Indigenous masculinity, along with U of M’s Niigaanwewidam Sinclair, assistant professor in Native studies, Faculty of Arts and Michael Hart, assistant professor in the Faculty of Social Work and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Knowledge. They explore questions such as: How does male privilege extend itself into the Indigenous world? And what responsibilities do Indigenous men carry when engaging in current issues like poverty, homelessness and missing and murdered Indigenous women?
The roundtable discussion takes place in the foyer of Migizii Agamik-Bald Eagle Lodge, Friday, Feb. 6 from 10 to 11:30 am.
Both events are sponsored by the department of Native studies, the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management and the Health, Leisure & Human Performance Research Institute.