Horn-Miller makes the Hall
The next class of the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame (NAIAHF) has been announced, and Waneek Horn-Miller will be one of the honoured inductees of this year’s class.
“I was so honoured to be inducted into this Hall of Fame above and beyond all the other honours I have had - because it is by our people and alongside our people,” said Horn-Miller.
Horn-Miller has previously been inducted into the Canada Sports Hall of Fame in 2019 and is also a member of the Carleton Ravens Hall of Fame.
There will be official ceremonies and a banquet for the NAIAHF inductees happening on June 7 at the Oneida Hotel and Conference Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Ceremonies include a sunrise tobacco burning, traditional songs and blessings, and an Oneida social dance demonstration.
Last year’s banquet, held in the same venue, attracted 450 guests as 55 inductees were added to the hall in its second year of existence.
“I really want to go,” said Horn-Miller, who, barring any familial obligations, should be attending.
The NAIAHF was launched in 2022, after its founder and executive director, Dr. Dan Ninham - who is Wolf Clan from the Oneida Nation - decided he wanted to establish something to honour worthy Indigenous athletes, coaches, and other individuals involved in sports, including those in Canada, not covered by the already existing American Indian Athletics Hall of Fame.
“I've been a fan of Dan and his wife's work in promoting and highlighting Indigenous sport excellence for a long time and have followed each induction class,” said Horn-Miller. “I was very honoured when he reached out to me and asked if I would be part of the 2025 class.”
Horn-Miller is not only being recognized for her athletic contributions to sport - although they alone are hall of fame worthy. Indeed, the co-captain of the 2000 Canadian Olympic water polo team that finished fifth in Sydney also won gold in the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, and bronze in the 2001 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
Her appearance in the Sydney Games marked the first time a “Kanien’kehá:ka woman born in Canada” (according to her bio) ever competed in the Olympics - not to mention the numerous accolades and medals she earned at Carleton and in the North American Indigenous Games.
She is also being recognized in two other categories: media and builder. Among other media appearances, Horn-Miller was part of the broadcast team for the Olympic Games, including most recently as a primetime panelist on CBC’s coverage of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
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As for the builder category, it is her advocacy and mentorship work in developing Indigenous sport that is being recognized. That includes her work with the Assembly of First Nations to develop its sport, fitness, and health strategy, as well as her motivational speaking and advocacy in and out of the sporting world.
