Indigenous Hockey Success and the Medicine Wheel
Keywords:
Indigenous Hockey Athletes, Indigenous Youth Athletes, Wholistic Approach, Spiritual Wellness, Physical Wellness, Mental Wellness, Emotional WellnessAbstract
Background: Indigenous athletes often employ wholistic frameworks into their training practices and lifestyle choices to enhance their performative success. This narrative review analyzes the physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional experiences that contribute to the successes of three elite Indigenous hockey athletes: Ethan Bear, Jordin Tootoo, and Jon Mirasty. Purpose: We aim to investigate how the teachings of the Medicine Wheel have shaped their accomplishments and continue to foster success in Indigenous youth athletes within future generations. Methods: A strengths-based qualitative approach was used to collect data from peer-reviewed literature, YouTube videos, and interviews regarding the selected athletes. Data was analyzed using a Two-Eyed Seeing approach to provide a broad perspective on the factors that contributed to the success from Indigenous and Western viewpoints. Results: Our findings were derived from three main interviews: Ethan Bear’s interview with Scott Oak on Sportsnet’s “After Hours,” Jordin Tootoo’s interview “Inuk NHL player Jordin Tootoo on life after going “All the Way” with CBC Radio, and Jon Mirasty’s interview with Michael LaRocque on “The Warrior’s Path” podcast. The wholistic approach of the Medicine Wheel was found to contribute significantly to each of their achievements. Factors that could be passed from their journey to Indigenous youth athletes were also identified. Conclusions: The journeys of Ethan Bear, Jordin Tootoo, and Jon Mirasty underscore the influence of spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional elements on the future success of Indigenous athletes, serving as an inspiration for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.
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