Pathway to Participation Recognizes Lethbridge Indigenous Sport Leaders

Indigenous History Month In Recognition of Contributions to Sport

June 2020

June is National Indigenous History Month - a time for all Canadians Indigenous, non-Indigenous and newcomers - to reflect upon and learn the history, sacrifices, cultures, contributions, and strengths of First Nations, Inuit and Metis people.

In celebration, the Lethbridge Sport Council is pleased to recognize Indigenous sport history and ongoing sport contributions by Indigenous people to Lethbridge and area. These 4 individuals have made an impact on us and we hope you enjoy reading their stories.

Join us to celebrate Chad, Mary Ellen, Isiah, and Darcie for their contributions to sport, physical activity, and recreation.

Everyone Should Experience Quality Sport The Lethbridge Sport Council and our members, value sport for its impact physically, socially, emotionally, and mentally.

No other domain of community life has demonstrated sport’s capacity to connect so many young people to positive adult role models and mentors, opportunities for positive development, and help to acquire critical life skills.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission identified sport and recreation as tools for social development to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities.

With support from an advisory committee, Lethbridge Sport Council aims to contribute to the promotion and development of inclusive pathways to participation for sport, physical activity, and recreation. Pathway to Participation for Indigenous Families is a two-year project funded by the Physical Activity and Recreation Division of the Government of Alberta.

Chad Chief Moon Chad Chief Moon has been a Kainai Minor Hockey Association coach for 10+ years. He is a father of 2. His son Zane currently plays in the Lethbridge Minor Hockey Association (LMHA) league and for the Lethbridge Lacrosse Association, also known as the Cudas or LLA. Chad is still active with the Kainai old timer Hockey program as well.

For the 2019 hockey season Chad was assistant coach for the Kainai Midget Bison Hockey team.

Chad has goals of developing lacrosse and hockey players on the Blood Tribe reserve. He has plans of establishing a lacrosse association on Kainai First Nations reserve. He has also been on board to bring back the Junior B hockey program to the Kainai people. They have been granted a team for 2020-2021 in Heritage Junior B Hockey League but decided to hold off a year due to the current pandemic.

Chad Chief Moon Inspired by his son Zane who quickly switched interest from hockey to lacrosse once introduced to it, Chad set out to make a difference in his community. “I took notice in the skill, stick handling, physical play and of course the team work. As time went on I learned that it is more than a game. Created by the Indigenous people in eastern Canada and USA, the Creator’s game had a purpose and it is to heal and to give thanks to the Creator. Which is important to me on a daily basis. Giving thanks to our creator and helping others. Now I can do both through the game of lacrosse.” - Coach Chad Chad has goals to help the Kainai First Nations establish their own lacrosse association. He believes lacrosse should be available to all Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth. “The youth on my reserve would benefit from the sport once they know the purpose of it and realize it's more than a game. I believe it will help the communities spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally as well the new skills they will learn.

Learning how to use the lacrosse stick and the purpose of the stick which also is sacred.”

Chad Chief Moon Chad brought in Jeff Shattler, a respected professional lacrosse player, for a camp at the Kainai Sports Centre. The camp was set to be an annual occurrence but due to COVID-19 the camp was postponed.

Before the pandemic Chad and his family managed to start their own free come try it lacrosse practices for any Indigenous youth to participate.

They book the Sik-Ooh-Kotoki Friendship Society Centre for their events. “I'm looking forward to this sport coming to our reserve and communities. Also I'm looking forward to helping our youth become good athletes and stronger people.�

For more information about camps and events please reach out to Chad at CChiefmoon@gmail.com.

Mary Ellen Little Mustache/Nawaksaaki Mary Ellen Little Mustache is not your typical sport leader. She is however doing her part to get our community active, “I’ve been working on language and building traditional sport equipment. I work hardest on building a new passion for traditional games with the next generation.”

Mary Ellen is the creator of Piikani Traditional Games page on Facebook but she prefers to work with her hands. She makes several traditional items such as drums and atlatl (an ancient tool used for throwing spears) made the traditional ways.

Mary Ellen Little Mustache/Nawaksaaki Mary has recently taken part in the Roving Gyms program by coming in to play traditional songs with the children.

Roving Gyms are free, inclusive, indoor play spaces for children five and under and their parents or caregivers. The Roving Gyms program nurtures physical literacy, the love of movement, and provides an environment for families to connect. The Lethbridge Sport Council felt rhythm and dance was missing from the Roving Gyms. Mary Ellen has set out to help us change this.

Mary Ellen playing/singing songs with the children during Roving Gyms at the Lethbridge Public Library.

This season Mary Ellen has started construction of some very cool new instruments made by hand from traditional materials.

Mary Ellen Little Mustache/Nawaksaaki With the Building Brains Project Mary Ellen was able to help create, pass down and adapt traditional Indigenous games that help youth in several subjects like math and problem solving.

A photo of Mary Ellen’s grandchildren playing Shinny, a traditional game not unlike hockey, with the sticks she made for them.

Mary Ellen helped the Lethbridge Play Charter be translated into Blackfoot.

Isiah Day Chief

Isiah is a local Indigenous sports leader by way of his athletic prowess. He has just retired from a semi professional hockey career including four years with the Coaldale Copperheads. He has been a golfer since the age of three. He’s played every sport imaginable growing up and he now dances in the pow wow circuit spreading awareness of, and celebrating his culture. Isiah leads by example, he shows his community members what a well rounded athlete can and should look like.

Wendy, Isiah's mother, told us that when he was very young, she played softball on a coed team and brought Isiah with her everywhere she went to play.

He was exposed to a wide variety of sports at a young age which she believes made a huge impact on his life.

Isiah Day Chief Wendy was able to share with us a snippet of something Isiah wrote during his childhood about sport. It was easy to tell when reading his words that at 13 he had a great appreciation for his mother and his relationship with sport: “I am the proud son of Wendy Day chief, she supports me in every way and puts up with all the ups and downs in my path to being a successful hockey player, I have one brother, John and he is my biggest fan. My grandparents are Winston Jr. and Renee. I attend school in Lethbridge St. Francis Jr High School. I am 13 years old and in grade eight. I come from the All Black Faces Clan (Ah kah sik ski). My Blackfoot name is Capture Many Pinto Horses. I have been very fortunate at this point in my life in which I began my minor hockey career at the age of 6yrs old with the Kainai Little Chiefs. It was then that I realized that my gift was not to play baseball, golf, basketball or track and field but my passion is hockey. Up to this point in my journey in becoming a successful hockey player, these are some of the teams I’ve played for and the successes.”

– 13 year old Isiah Day Chief

Teams and sports Isaiah played by age 13

Isiah Day Chief Isiah has had a deep respect for sport since a young age, and it clearly didn’t stop growing. “Being a part of sport has helped me express myself; all my best friends in life, I have met through sport. It definitely helped me develop social skills, and it can help you be way more comfortable with who you are.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Isiah has stayed active by practicing the Chicken Dance from his powwow routine. He recorded videos of himself practicing to post and encourage his friends to push themselves. “Some people like to sort of compete online. Everyone misses it and wants to keep busy getting better. It’s a great way to stay in contact with your powwow family”.

Isiah started dancing about two years ago after losing his grandpa. He says it motivated him to want to get out there since it was one of his grandpa’s passions. “My grandpa never really had any grandchildren dancing or being involved in that part of our culture. I wanted to get out there and show the rest of the family it’s really not that hard, you can do it too. When it’s part of who you are to do that sort of thing, it’s in your destiny to follow.” He admits that it takes a little encouraging sometimes to want to dance in front of sometimes thousands of people.

Isiah encourages others to try and dance as a form of expressing yourself and for physical activity - “It requires a lot of stamina.” You can catch a glimpse of the traditional dance through links in the Lethbridge Sport Council blog post about Traditional Games and Dance @Home.

Darcie Vielle Darcie is a basketball coach and the Sport and Recreation Coordinator for the Blood Tribe Recreation Department. She says they try to program sporting events by what’s in season. She admits this is a 365-day-a-year job but you won’t hear one complaint, she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Darcie started her own running club called Aokakasiiksi Running Club which translates from Blackfoot to English as Runners’ Running Club.

Highlights for the club include the annual Moonlight Run and the Brooks Running Challenge where the team saw success. With the help of event organizers Runner’s Soul and members, the Aokakasiiksi Running Club was able to secure their spot in the challenge earning $10,000 to go towards running equipment for local athletes.

Darcie Vielle Darcie recently took on a cumulative run with a goal of accomplishing 91 kms for the month of May called the Gatorade Virtual Fun Run. She was inspired by the initiatives the running club have been taking on in the community during these unforeseen times. She aspires to do her part to get our community active. In June she’s planning to organize her own virtual fun run.

Her goal is for participants to accumulate the equivalent distance as the perimeter of the Kainai Blood Tribe reserve and the City of Lethbridge combined. Since the Blackfoot term for the area that is the Blood Tribe reserve is Kainai and the name for the land that is Lethbridge is Sik-OohKotoki, she plans to call the run Kainai-Sik-Ooh-Kotoki Fun Run.

Darcie Vielle “It has always been a goal of my husband and mine to get our kids active.

We started with our family playing basketball and other games about 10 years ago. Kids just kept showing up and it snowballed from there. It’s truly been a blessing for us and our community to be able to participate and encourage these kids to play. We see the benefits for our area to include sport in their extracurricular lives. They’re so motivated to come play and participate. It's been a really good positive experience we love sharing.” Darcie Vielle

Kainai teams lead by Darcie earned 63 medals at the Alberta Indigenous Games last season, as well as 6 gold medals by the undefeated basketball team with the rest being earned in running sports. Highlights for the basketball team include winning the Calgary Stampede Showdown and the Alberta Indigenous Games. Please follow Blood Tribe Recreation and Parks on Facebook to catch up with Darcie and her many teams.

110 Columbia Blvd W – PO Box 21090 Lethbridge Alberta T1K 6X4 403-320-5412 or 403-320-9371 info@lethbridgesportcouncil.ca www.lethbridgesportcouncil.ca Twitter: @LethbridgeSport Facebook: @LethbridgeSport Instagram: @lethbridgesport LinkedIn: Lethbridge Sport Council YouTube: Lethbridge Sport Council