Indigenous Research

Covid-19 in Indigenous Communities

Five Protective Factors of “Exercising” Sovereignty

Kelsey Leonard1, Natalie Welch2 and Alisse Ali-Joseph3

1 Shinnecock Nation, Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

2 Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Business - Sport Management, Linfield University, Oregon, USA

3 Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Applied Indigenous Studies, Northern Arizona University, Arizona, USA

September (2020) http://www.crcpress.com/9780367616656

This is an Accepted Manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge/CRC Press in Sport and the Pandemic: Perspectives on Covid-19's Impact on the Sport Industry on September 28, 2020, available online: https://www.routledge.com/Sport-and-the-Pandemic-Perspectives-on-Covid-19s-Impact-on-the-Sport-Industry/Pedersen-Ruihley-Li/p/book/9780367616656 

Abstract

Indigenous Peoples have an inherent responsibility and right to “exercising” sovereignty - the practice of sport and physical activity in performance of our cultural, political, and spiritual citizenship (Ali-Joseph 2018). During the COVID-19 pandemic, access to and equity (inequity) in sport and physical activity has been felt (physically, spiritually, politically) within Indigenous communities. We implement an abundance-based Indigenous approach to understanding Indigenous Peoples’ responses to the coronavirus pandemic through sport and its far-reaching ramifications in Indian Country. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic we have seen Indigenous Peoples utilize social media such as Facebook and TikTok to reimagine Indigenous sport in digital spaces such as the “Social Distance Powwow” and “Pass the RezBall Challenge”. Utilizing Indigenous ways of knowing, practices of survivance, Indigenous sport scholarship, and Indigenous responses to COVID-19 we describe five protective factors of “exercising” sovereignty that have emerged including community, relationality, strength, abundance, and resilience. 

Keywords: Indigenous sport, exercise sovereignty, COVID-19, Indigenous Peoples, Indian Country

Introduction

Indigenous Peoples have been disproportionately impacted by the novel coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19). In May 2020, the Navajo Nation surpassed Covid-19 epicenters, New York and New Jersey, with the highest per capita rates of virus infection (Indian Country Today, 2020). As three Indigenous women currently living across Turtle Island (North America), from different Indigenous nations (Shinnecock Nation, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), we have been empowered by sport and witnessed its impact across Indian Country throughout our lives. As Covid-19 altered our personal and professional lives, we noted its impact on Indigenous communities.

The Covid-19 pandemic does not only affect physical health, but trickles into the very fabric of Indigenous communities. As sovereign nations, our economies, as well as our cultural responsibilities and ceremonies have been altered. History has shown us that when Indigenous Peoples are faced with world crises such as famine, war, climate change, and disease, sports emerge, responding to challenging times in an abundance of innovation (Oxendine, 1988). As such, the evolution of Indigenous sport should not be separated from community resilience as sport is integral to instilling Indigenous values, knowledge, and community connectedness necessary for Indigenous nations to survive endemic hardships, including pandemics.

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Figure 1: The figure shows the five protective factors of “Exercising” Sovereignty including community, relationality, strength, abundance, and resilience.