Explotiation of Indigenous People in the Olympic Games

Indigenous, Native, First Nations and Aboriginal are used interchangeably in this wiki.

Covert Racism

Covert racism is a passive form of racial discrimination. Covert racism stems from systemic racial prejudices that have been put in place. There have been many documented cases of covert racism relating do Indigenous people in Canada. Exploitation of the Indigenous people goes hand in hand with the covert racism that they have experienced. The Indigenous people have been exploited by the Canadian government in order to improve their public image. Specifically, in the 1976, 1988 and 2010 Olympic games, the Canadian government has exploited the Indigenous peoples of Canada through covert racism in an attempt to make Canada appear as a multicultural nation to the world. Covert racism often goes hand in hand with laissez-faire racism. This is racism that is intrinsic to the system.

Laissez-Faire Racism

Laissez-faire racism helps preserve the in-group's sense of superiority over another inferior out-group, specifically the whites over the Indigenous people. The racial inequalities are justified via "sub-typing"

Sub-Typing

Sub-typing exists in 3 forms; in group vs. out group, ideology based homophily and political avoidance norm.

• In group vs out group
  • The superior group has a bias towards the inferior (out group) and their superiorty is justified by stereotypes
• Ideology based homophily
  • reject those with different ideologies from you
• Political avoidance norm
  • avoid public discussions of racism and colonization
  • allows the superior group to be ignorant and brush off injustices.

1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal

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  1976 Closing Ceremonies in Montreal

In the 1976 Olympic Games, the Closing Ceremonies utilized many aspects of Indigenous culture such as Aboriginal dances, attire and prop settings. The Ceremonies also included Aboriginal dancers and music. However it seems that this is not the case. The dancers that were hired were not Indigenous. The attire that they wore was not authentic. The music used was French Canadian based rather than authentic Aboriginal music. Also, very stereotypical images such as tee-pees were used during the ceremonies. The closing ceremony was designed and executed without consultation with the Indigenous people and they were not thanked either. Perhaps the final slap on the face was when 200 Indigenous Leaders were brought out into the ceremony and they were lead in "traditional" dances by non-Indigenous people with painted faces.

The ceremonies were meant to present a peaceful and harmonious relationship between the Indigenous people and Canadians. However, this relationship was anything but harmonious at the time due to the White Paper.

The White Paper

The White Paper refers to the proposed abolishment of the Indian Act by the Trudeau Government in 1969. This was viewed the by Aboriginal people of Canada as another attempt to forcefully assimilate them to the Western culture. The White Paper would've removed the category of "Indian" and also ended any land claims and treaties that were currently in place. This act was viewed as an act of cultural genocide and was formally retracted in 1971. Had it not been retracted, the Aboriginal people would've lost their culture and identity.

1988 Calgary Summer Olympics

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  Opening Ceremonies in Calgary depicting Stereotypical Indigenous imagery.

In the 1988 Calgary Summer Olympics, there were still multiple examples of the exploitation of Indigenous people for the benefit of the Games' organizers. Organizers suggested including a scene of an Indian attack and wagon burdening for the Opening Ceremony but the idea was rejected. Indigenous culture was used to present a "western" perspective of Canada. Organizers used such figures such as cowboys, the Indian and the Mounties. Similarly to Montreal, the Indigenous people were not consulted on the planning and execution of the ceremonies themselves. Everything was done by white people for the Indigenous people. The Indian image was a crucial aspect of the world renowned Calgary Stampede which was the driving motivation for the ceremonies yet the Indigenous people were not consulted. The ceremonies again displayed many stereotypical images of Indigenous people in Canada, such as tee-pees, feathered headdresses and face paint. The Indigenous images were presented as supporting pieces so that the Mounties and the cowboys would take the spotlight despite the rich Indigenous history and their integral part to the message being presented. The ceremony also attempted to mask some of the harsher truths about the past relationships regarding Indigenous people. The ceremony presented the narrative that was less violent than the reality. The medals used in these Olympic Games also depicted traditional indigenous headdresses with sporting equipment coming out of them. This is another example of the cultural exploitation of the Indigenous people for the benefit of the white people.

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  Medals Depicting Indigenous Headdress

2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics

In 2010, the Olympic organizers definitely learned from the mistakes of the previous two Olympic games on Canadian soil but there were still instances of cultural exploration. During the bidding process for the games, the Vancouver Olympic committee (VANOC) claimed the "First Nations" were a political institution in Canada and used it to help their bid process. However, this has never been the case since the First Nations are not recognized as such. In reality, the First Nations live in very disadvantaged situations when compared to the rest of the country. In 2010, the Indigenous nations were invited to work with the Vancouver Olympic Committee in the planning stages for the games. The VANOC has also provided fudning and economic support to local Indigenous communities. However, the games themselves took place on traditional and unceded land. The First Nations people view the land as stolen land and VANOC hoped to mask this sentiment with their economic support. The 2010 games also featured many Aboriginal imagery such as artwork which was incorporated onto the Team Canada Hockey jerseys.

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  Team Canada 2010 Hockey Jersey

Opening Ceremonies

Again, during the opening ceremonies, the Indigenous people were exploited in an attempt to present a narrative of Canada's multiculturalism. 400 Aboriginal youth were invited to participate in the Opening Ceremony but their role was over shined by the rest of the "modern day" Canada presentations. A lot of Aboriginal imagery such as totem poles and various animals were used at the start of the ceremony but they quickly transitioned out and were never to be seen again. They were replaced by a segment about Canada's diversity and living side by side in harmony. This is yet another attempt to mask the reality of the relationship between the Canadians and the Indigenous people of Canada in an attempt to paint a peaceful multicultural narrative for Canada,