Reclaiming Tom Longboat

Reclaiming Tom Longboat tells the story of runner Tom Longboat. Tom, an indigenous athlete from southern Ontario had to overcome plenty of obstacles to reach success. For starters, as a child, he was forced to attend the Mohawk Institute, a residential school. Since it was mandatory he learns English and convert to Christianity and forget about his cultural roots, he ran away from the school to stay with his uncle. In his early twenties Tom started to compete in more races in cities across Ontario, and to many people’s surprise, started winning. In this book author Janice Forsyth focuses on how Indigenous people were controlled by the government, both in their everyday lives and in sport.

This book discusses the story of Tom Longboat and other Indigenous athletes, and how the Canadian government created many injustices against this group. Through multiple resources including oral and text passages author, Janice Forsyth explored how racism interfered with the lives and athletic careers of so many.

As Canadians learning about Indigenous culture is something we should all know about. Furthermore, with the horrible injustices against this group, it is something we need to learn about in order to ensure this terrible history is never repeated. Reclaiming Tom Longboat is an excellent way to gain a greater understanding of these issues, all while being intertwined with sport. For this reason, this book undoubtedly deserves a spot on our Shelf and should be on yours too!