Ethical Issues In The Case Of Tom Longboat

Kidd recounts Tom Longboat as a controversial Amateur and Professional Indigenous marathon runner who began racing in 1905 and after many years of fighting racism against Indigenous people, he began paving the way for his people in sport, and retired after World War 1. During Longboats generation the Indian act was implemented trying to rid the Indigenous peoples of their heritage, language, and their identities. Longboat on the other hand, was stubborn, and fought the attempts to ‘Christianize’ him, which resulted in backlash from the organizations, fans, and committees involved with the sport. The article mentions that many described Longboat as destined for tragedy, as he would blow his earnings on liquor, clothes, and foolish investments (Kidd, pg. 517). At the time, there was a stigma where ‘Indians’

The article talks about Tom’s controversial accusations, and then seemingly breaks them pulling information from primary and secondary sources including other’s work who have studied Tom Longboats career. In the case of Tom Longboat the majority of secondary sources seem to be the negative news articles and papers written about Longboat in support of the Indian act, and depicting the typical ‘Indian’ out of a sport constructed for whites to compete in. Looking into the primary sources including interviews with Longboat, his mother, managers, have all recounted otherwise, that Longboat was in fact a normal guy trying to pave his way for indigenous people amongst Caucasian people of the time. Longboat had many supporters, and even more when he married into the Christian religion, seemingly losing his heritage to take a break from the constant struggle of his race within the