Join us for this special learning opportunity. We are fortunate to
learn from Matthew Sakiestewa Gilbert (Hopi) about Marathoner Louis
Tewanima and the Continuity of Hopi Running. Matthew Sakiestewa
Gilbert is Professor and Head of the Department of American Indian
Studies at the University of Arizona. He is an enrolled member of
the Hopi Tribe from the village of Upper Munqapi. Centering his
research and teaching on Native American history and the history of
the American West, he examines the history of American Indian
education, the Indian boarding school experience, and American
Indians and sport. In January 1907, Louis Tewanima, from the Hopi
Reservation in northeastern Arizona, enrolled at the Carlisle Indian
Industrial School in Pennsylvania. While at Carlisle, Tewanima joined
the school’s cross-country team. He won numerous races and earned
the opportunity to compete in the 1908 and 1912Summer Olympic Games.
Tewanima’s story represents his ability to redefine Hopi running in
the twentieth century and shows how he maneuvered within American and
European perceptions of Natives and sports. His participation in
running events recalls a time when white Americans situated indigenous
people at Indian boarding schools on the fringes of U.S. society but
embraced them when they brought honors to the country by representing
the nation in athletic competitions at home and abroad. Furthermore,
Tewanima’s involvement in marathons and Olympic races demonstrates
the ways Americans used his success to further the ideals of U.S.
nationalism, as he simultaneously continued the long tradition of
running among his people.
culture
632
Views
23/02/2020 Last update