Bringing an Indigenous perspective to the field: Theory, research, practice

Despite 20 plus years of dedicated sport for development theorising, research and practice, Indigenous perspectives are underrepresented. Given Indigenous populations are frequently the target of sport for development initiatives, this is concerning (Hapeta et al., 2019).

In moving from reimagining to reshaping sport and development – from vision to action, and as aptly put by Indigenous sport sociologist Paul Whitinui (2021), that action denotes a doing word – we argue the importance of Indigenous people having greater visibility and authenticity in this space. Central in moving from reimagining to reshaping sport and development is a need to expand the range of knowledges, perspectives and practices that are privileged and thus dominate within the sport for development space.

Concerns

A couple of key concern as we see it are:

Sport for development agendas, by nature, are inherently deficit-based, because they tend to focus on a problem, such as low literacy or youth crime. Indigenous people often bear the brunt of this lens when they are targeted by deficit-focused sport for development initiatives. In reshaping sport for development, there is a need to build on a tradition of Indigenous arguments, which challenge deficit views.  

Some sport for development scholars have lamented the disconnect between sport for development theory and practice, and argue the need to bridge the divide. However, for Indigenous people there is often no divide. Indigenous worldviews are theory, as Indigenous philosophical paradigms generally presume a relational ontology, which is about a place-based existence and practices that link to a particular territory. Theoretical understandings of the world are thus inseparable from the past, present and future practices of life.

For Indigenous people, everyday practices are informed by theories about creation, cosmology, ancestors, genealogy accounts, values and principles, governance and leadership structures, rules and norms which determine behaviours and connections in the material and non-material worlds, which are context and event specific. Practice is thus an embodied expression of theory. It is about a deep relational way of thinking, predicated upon relational ontologies. The practice of sport can also represent an embodied expression that is relational and reflective of philosophical paradigms that can be contested in communities and societies where they exist (Hapeta, et al., 2019).

Sport for development initiatives also tend to overlook community members as knowledge sources when looking to the ‘world of evidence’ in decision making. Community members’ knowledge and evidence is often excluded when determining success, with monitoring and evaluation indicators drawing mainly on external, top-down, measures. However, this can be problematic, because as shown in preliminary research we undertook in 2019 we found, outcomes are better when the design of sport for development initiatives reflects Indigenous values (Hapeta, et al., 2019). 

Sport for development initiatives which focus on Indigenous populations, yet do not come from an Indigenous standpoint, can sometimes hinder Indigenous development. This is particularly the case when project or programme goals, and ensuing impact and outcome measures, lack alignment with Indigenous aspirations and measures of success. For example, for Indigenous people, notions of success might relate to ancestral language inclusion and ensuing efficacy, or how well the sport for development initiative can work alongside and complement Indigenous festivals and ceremonies.

Ideas

A couple of key ideas we observe to be crucial to reshaping sport for development are:

• To understand more deeply the ways in which the structure, design and operation of sport for development initiatives which work with Indigenous people might pose challenges to incorporating Indigenous worldviews and reinforce colonial understandings for Indigenous people
• To be able to describe how Indigenous-driven sport for development initiatives are structured, designed and operated
• To co-create and trial monitoring and evaluation indicators, grounded in Indigenous people’s own understanding, that demonstrate success via sport for development
• To construct an Indigenous-centred understanding of sport for development

Given the aforementioned the authors of this piece, an Indigenous research team based in Aotearoa, New Zealand, have just commenced work looking at these very issues and ideas.

• See https://www.indigenoussportfordevelopment.com/

On track for the end of 2022 is a Special Issue with the Journal of Sport for Development dedicated to Indigenous Voices.

References

Hapeta, J.  Stewart-Withers, R. & Palmer, F. (2019). Sport for Social change with Aotearoa NZ youth: Navigating the theory-research-practice nexus through Indigenous principles. Journal of Sport Management: Special Issue: Sport for Social Change, 33(5), 481-492. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2018-0246

Whitinui, P. (2021). Decolonizing Sports Sociology is a “Verb not a Noun”: Indigenizing Our Way to Reconciliation and Inclusion in the 21st Century? Alan Ingham Memorial Lecture. Sociology of Sport Journal, 38(1), 3-15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.2020-0148

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Associate Professor Rochelle Stewart-Withers, is Head of Programme for the Institute of Development Studies at Massey University, Aotearoa, New Zealand (NZ). She is an Indigenous scholar with a particular interested in how sport is used as an entry point into communities when looking to address gender and Indigenous social and economic disparities. In 2020, along with Dr Jeremy Hapeta and Professor Farah Palmer, she was awarded a prestigious NZ Royal Society - Te Pūtea Rangahau a Marsden’ Grant (2021) for the project ‘Our Game by Our Rules: Bringing an Indigenous perspective to the Sport-for-Development (SFD) field’. 

Dr Jeremy Hapeta, is Co-Director of Te Koronga, the Centre of Indigenous Science at the University of Otago, Aotearoa, NZ  and he is also a senior lecturer in Māori physical education and health at the School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences. Jeremy has a background in rugby both as a player (NZ, Japan, France) and as a coach (Italy, NZ). 

Professor Farah Rangikoepa Palmer, NZ Order of Merit Awardee, holds the role of Pou Ākonga – Executive Director, Māori Student Success at Massey University Aotearoa, NZ. She captained the NZ Women’s national rugby team, the Black Ferns, for 10 years, winning numerous World Cups, and was inducted into the International Rugby Board Hall of Fame in 2014. In 2016, Professor Palmer became the first female member of the New Zealand Rugby Board and in 2021 was appointed as the first ever Deputy Chair. She is also Chair of the New Zealand Māori Rugby Board, and a Board member of Sport New Zealand.