‘Playing Indian’ at Ontario Summer Camps: Has anything really changed?

With days becoming shorter and cooler, I yearn for my summer in Algonquin Park, where I would lounge on the deck, paddle around the lake, chat with campers and head out to Native Council. Wait a second…? Did I say Native Council? That’s right, as late as 2004 (my last summer in the park) my summer camp sustained the contested tradition of “playing Indian”.

In the early to mid 20th century, summer camps in northern Ontario boosted their traditional, back-to-nature approach advertising Native councils, war canoes, smoke signals and long-established Native dances. Flashy camp brochures were adorned with pictures of campers wearing feathered headdresses, applying war paint and taking part in chanting circles. Although I would like to believe that the ideas of cultural appropriation and constructed stereotypes of Native Americans are far behind us, the days of ‘playing Indian’ are still surprisingly present.

While the camps are more discreet in their inclusion of ‘playing Indian’ (less advertising, less war paint) many still adhere to the socially unacceptable act of ‘playing Indian’. I think this tactic is a form of appropriation that is unnecessary, insensitive and misleading, leaving campers with an artificial impression of traditional Native culture. If the camps would include an educational aspect to these “Native” experiences, a more holistic and historically engaging experience can be created for the participants. Historical recreations can be positive and campers can learn about Native culture without playing on offensive stereotypes.


(Written upon reflection of Sharon Wall’s “Totem Poles, Teepees, and Token Traditions: ‘Playing Indian’ at Ontario Summer Camps, 1920-1955,” Canadian Historical Review.)