Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board – Honouring Indigenous Tradition Through Sport – Education News Canada
March 3, 2026
Thanks to a $700 grant from the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations’ ‘Try Day program’, students at St. Paul Catholic Secondary School explored the grants’ theme, ‘Focus on Fitness’, and embraced a new winter sport rooted in Indigenous tradition.
For the past two weeks, Mrs. Gauthier’s Grade 11 English – Understanding Contemporary First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Voices (NBE) class in partnership with the Board’s Indigenous Graduation Coaches, Eli and Mahaley, explored the rich history and cultural significance of Snow Snakes, a traditional Haudenosaunee winter sport.
The project culminated today (Feb 27) in a Snow Snakes Tournament, which was planned and led entirely by Grade 11 NBE students. Guided by Mohawk community knowledge keeper and Snow Snake player Kanonhsowanen Dustin Brant from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, students participated in land-based, experiential learning where they discovered, firsthand, how this traditional game carries deep cultural meaning and continues to build community.
