Indigenous representation in sport is extremely important for Bisons student-athlete Emily Mandamin. The senior on the women's basketball team has shared her story many times, emphasizing the impact that the game has had on her, and how it changed her life.
 
A proud member of Iskatewizaagegan 39 Independent First Nation [also known as Shoal Lake #39], when she moved from her reservation to Winnipeg, there weren't many "people who looked like her, "came here she came from," or "had the same values or hardships."
 
In her "grade ten or 11 year of high school," she made the decision to quit Team Manitoba to pursue Indigenous basketball. Through that, she ended up finding her "love for the game and "love for herself and her community again."
 
"Coming from a small first nation, I felt like I was really alienated and put on the sidelines and I struggled with that," she admits. "When I played in a whole bunch of native tournaments, it was like having a sense of belonging and identity. Figuring out that there is a place for culture in sport was super big for me."
 
Mandamin wants to help be a voice for others like her, which includes getting out in the community.
 
She's gone to the North American Indigenous Games to go "talk about a couple things regarding Indigenous youth in sport," and her first year at the University of Manitoba, she and Bisons head coach Michele Sung went to many different reservations and ran basketball camps in their communities, connecting with their youth.
 
The hope is to "inspire other youth to pursue post-secondary education."


 
Mandamin has also gone up north to work with Inuit youth, encouraging the use of sport to "help battle high suicide rates and addiction rates" via the Grind Now Shine Later Nunavik Basketball Program.
 
The program was founded in the village of Aupaluk, by and for Inuit youth, in 2020.
 
"I get to work specifically with the young girls up north in Nunavik. I think having access to sport gives us equal opportunity to grow the game and a sense of belonging," she said at the time.
 
"I think that's what a lot of youth struggle with, is having somewhere they can call home or somewhere they feel wanted. The basketball court is what drew me to that early on. I built a community within sport."
 
A few summers ago, Mandamin also worked with the Ontario Liquor and Gaming Commission to completely refurbish her home reserve's basketball court in Northwestern Ontario.
 
The court features a mural by local Indigenous artist Alicia Kejick, Mandamin's cousin who went to the same community school that she did. The mural is based on "Ziigwan" (zee-gwan) which represents the season of spring and is the beginning of a new year in Anishinaabe culture.


 
"I was always one of those kids who never had anybody to tag along with me, or to go play basketball with, or see anybody that looks like me. Trying to get out in the community and talk about the challenges I've faced many times, it can help a kid feel seen or heard," adds Mandamin.
 
"They often ask me questions about my journey, and we get to talking about our similarities and how they're not very far off from each other. It just really starts with bridging those conversations and starting them and starting to talk about what sport can really do for you. I'm a true believer that if you inspire one kid than you've done your job."
 
Mandamin's teammate, second-year guard Hope Larocque, has joined her in connecting in culture through sport. This summer, the duo played in a variety of native tournaments, growing in their friendship along the way.
 
"She's Red River Metis. Playing these native tournaments together all summer was super nice. You have somebody who also understands the challenges of playing high level youth sport basketball, but you also have someone understands the struggles of being Indigenous and what the disparities look like in communities," she says.
 
"Having somebody who can really understand, she can see it firsthand and we travelled together all summer so it was nice being able to get out in the community and go to Pow Wows, or participate in different tribal dances. Now coming back here together we have a great bond. It's really nice to be able to have that."
 
At the University of Manitoba, reconciliation through sport can be seen in a variety of ways, such as the annual Spirit of the Bison event, hosted on campus.
 
Last year, the event brought sport and Indigenous culture together in a celebration across three Bisons regular-season games (women's hockey and men's and women's basketball). The national anthem was sung in Indigenous languages, and there were halftime performances from Indigenous dancers and drummers.


 
Many Indigenous athletes from across the province were also invited to the games, taking in the action while connecting with Mandamin and others post-game.
 
"Trying to get kids to come out to these games and see that there's athletes that look like them, I'm a big advocate for that," says Mandamin.
 
"I think having somebody to have that conversation with, asking how did your journey turn out? What are the challenges you had to face? Just being truthful and honest about the things you had to go through and where you want to be, is important."
 
Manitoba's recent logo refresh also recognizes the Indigenous history of the Bison, something Mandamin appreciates.
 
"They talk about the Indigenous history of the Bison, and the spirit of the Bison with the colours. I think that blue represents a lot of new beginnings and prosperity with Indigenous culture. I'm personally a huge fan of the new logo because of those reasons. I think the university did a great job of making that our forever logo."