Waneek Horn-Miller

Waneek is Mohawk from Kahnawake Mohawk Territory located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada, across from Montreal. She comes from a family of proud, strong and fiercely determined Mohawk women.

Waneek was only fourteen as she stood strong amongst her Nation in what infamously came to be known as the Oka Crisis. It was at the end of the siege that Waneek was stabbed and struck to the ground by a soldiers bayonet. Through this life changing experience, Waneek used Water Polo as a self empowering focus as she made it onto the Canadian Women’s Water Polo team; they won Gold in the 1999 Pan-American Games. Voted MVP, Waneek became co-captain and proudly led the Canadian Team at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

She has completed her Bachelor of Political Science degree at Carleton University, Ottawa in 2000. She travels extensively throughout Canada and the United States speaking to native and non-native about her experiences both in and out of sport. As Coordinator of the First Peoples’ House, Waneek has developed the Eagle Spirit High Performance Camp to attract Aboriginal youth to higher education while teaching them the balance between sports and education.

She is also the Assembly of First Nations IndigenACTION Ambassador working to coordinate a National, Sport Fitness and Wellness Strategy where she hopes she can  inspire young people and encourage them to pursue their dreams.