The Tom Longboat run, hosted annually by Six Nations of the Grand River (SNGR) near Brantford, Ont., since 1999, has been cancelled after the family spoke out against the First Nation’s cannabis industry.
Brian Winnie, grandson of the famed Haudenosaunee runner who died in 1949, published a statement on a family blog saying immediate family would not participate in today’s event as a direct result of the “societal catastrophe” that is the cannabis industry on Six Nations land.
According to Winnie, the Six Nations-elected band council is responsible for the “death, drugs, overdoses, organized crime, human/sex trafficking and other types of related crimes, now occurring on Six Nations territory” as a result of the cannabis industry.
He wrote the family would no longer participate in, endorse or allow the use of Longboat’s name in connection with any activities sponsored by any band council, not just limited to Six Nations.
“Failure to observe this ban will show the complete disregard and lack of understanding of who exactly Tom Longboat was and what his message is.”
Winnie was contacted by CBC K-W to be interviewed for this article, but he declined, saying the statement speaks for itself.
CBC K-W also reached out to Six Nations band council for comment, but did not receive a response.
A statement posted on the SNGR’s Facebook page says the event was “canceled [sic] out of respect for the family’s position and statement.”
The statement also says “efforts are being made to revive the event for next year, with focus on highlighting the collective achievements of community athletes.”
Controversy surrounding Six Nations’ cannabis industry has been circling after a recent grow operation popped up near the downtown core, distressing some residents.
Nancy Porter, one of those residents, said at least 55 greenhouses have been erected behind her generations-old home over the past few months.
While the farms are private, they do have council oversight through the Six Nations Cannabis Commission.
The run is held annually to memorialize Longboat, who was born on Six Nations in 1887.
Growing up, Longboat had been sent to the Mohawk Institute residential school. He escaped from the institute twice by running away.
More than 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit children were forced to attend about 140 federally funded residential schools in Canada between the 1870s and 1997, when the last one closed. The schools aimed to strip away their culture and language, and reports of widespread abuse have been documented.
WATCH | The History of Tom Longboat:
Longboat’s first notable competitive running achievement was in 1907, when he won the Boston Marathon.
In 1916, his volunteered for the First World War and served as a message runner in Europe. At one point, he was erroneously reported killed in action.
Upon returning to Canada, Longboat worked in Toronto for 20 years and was married to Martha. Together they had four children. The couple moved back to Six Nations before his death.
