Tribal Gifts to Olympics

Native Voices Foundation
Aug 15, 2004

"While celebrating the Greeks for their greatest gift
to peace, joy and health, in history - THE OLYMPIC
GAMES... And the French for reviving the Olympics in
1896, I hope the world also reflects on the
contributions of the First Americans and other
Indigenous Peoples," said Olympic skier Suzy Chaffee.
"Most people are not aware of the roots of ten Olympic
sports that the American Indians invented: Soccer
(kicking a ball for days), ice and field hockey,
canoeing, kayaking, overhand swimming stroke,
baseball, basketball, tobogganing (sled sports), as
well as the three day Marathon, for spiritual and
messenger purposes, like their South American brothers
and sisters.

"The People" of Turtle Island (America's 500 Nations)
were the first to invent team sports, including
baseball, basketball, as well as lacrosse. "While the
'civilized' world played war games, our tribal men,
women and children were settling disputes playing team
sports with long bats and lacrosse sticks," said Grand
Master Lacrosse Champion, Oren Lyons, Chief of the
Onondaga Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy. "The
French Jesuits arriving in the 1500's, renamed the
Iroquois (medicine) game, 'Lacrosse' (like Bishop's
Crosier), yet our sports are so old that no one knows
how far back they go. Baseball, which evolved from the
tribal bat and ball, or long ball, is still played
with an eight person team," said Lyons, who was
inducted into the International Scholar Athletes Hall
of Fame in 2003. Louis Sokalexis, a Penobscot, was
considered by many the greatest baseball player
(Cleveland) in 1898.

"Basketball evolved from an ancient Mayan-Inca-Aztec
game and lacrosse. The South American tribes first
threw or kicked a rubber ball (they invented) through
a vertical hoop in an outdoor court," said Vaspra. As
a way to keep his lacrosse team in shape and
interested indoors, during harsh winters, YMCA coach
James Naismith in 1891, took away the sticks, got an
inflatable rubber ball, tied two peach "baskets" to
the upper track of the gymnasium, and used the similar
free flowing moves as lacrosse, according to Thomas
Vennum, retired head ethnologist at Washington's
Smithsonian.

Woody Vaspra, President of the World Council of
Elders, offered these insights on the gifts of earth's
oldest tribes, gathered from a tapestry of oral
traditions. "Over 100,000 years ago the tribal people
of Lemuria in the Pacific (predating Atlantis), and
Africa first threw rocks for survival then sport,
which evolved into the shot put. Spear-throwing became
the javelin, and then bow and arrow became universally
adopted as the art of archery.

The Oriental tribes, led by the Koreans in 2333 B.C.,
invented martial arts - mastery was required of
national leaders. The Middle Eastern tribes, led by
the Egyptians, invented the art of fencing. Though not
yet an Olympic sport, the Hawaiians gave us surfing,
which was revived by Gold Medallist swimmer, Duke
Kahanamoku, after it had been outlawed by
missionaries. He was recently celebrated on a U.S.
postage stamp," said Vaspra, a Hawaiian professional
baseball and football player. Duke's friend, Sac and
Fox Jim Thorpe, the only man to win the Olympic
Decathlon and Pentathlon, is revered by many as "The
Greatest All Round Athlete in History."

"The polar tribes, spanning from Lapland to Siberia
and Alaska invented and shared the roots of most of
our favorite Winter Olympic sports, thanks to a common
language in a world without boundaries. Developed
first for survival, then for fun and competition, the
Sami are credited for pioneering skiing and skating
5,000 years ago, and the Inuits for kayaking and their
unique Winter Games. The polar tribes, as well as the
First Nations of Canada and American Indian Nations,
developed snowshoeing, cross country, canoeing, and
tobogganing," said Lyons.

Chaffee and her fellow Olympians of Native Voices
Foundation (NVF), an eco partnership with US Tribal
leaders and UN Eco Award winners, applauds the
International Olympic Committee's "Be a Champion for
the Environment," which recommends we include
Indigenous Peoples in the Games to enhance their
sustainability. It is championed by IOC President
Jacques Rogge and Prince Albert of Monaco, a
Lakota-Sioux adoptee, and NVF Advisor.

Bottom line: What would life be like without our
favorite sports? "We can thank these Indigenous sports
heroes by celebrating all our tribal ancestors for
these priceless gifts at these Greek Olympics. And by
remembering their reverence for Mother Earth on whom
we play, our children's children may continue to enjoy
Nature's playgrounds," agree NVF Co-chairs, Ed Hall
(Arikara-Hidatsu), a leading Indian advocate in
Washington D.C., and Chaffee. "The best way is by
giving back sports opportunities to our youth," said
Tex Hall, President of the National Congress of
American Indians, a former teacher and collegiate
basketball hall of famer on the NVF board.

"Indian People hope this is a time for the mending of
the sacred hoop of all Nations," said Lakota Nicholas
Black Elk, a vision he received that would soon take
place. "Everything flows more harmoniously when it's
in a circle," said Vaspra. The U.S. "Discovery
Channel" recently revealed a 30,000 year genetic link
between the Greeks and some American Tribes. Added the
Elders President, "Therefore it is not surprising that
both cultures share the same body, mind and spirit

sports philosophy, and why most tribal sports and the
Ancient Greek Olympics were founded as spiritual
celebrations."

For more information: http://www.nativevoices.org/,
"American Indian Sports Heritage" by Joseph B.Oxendine


Contact: Native Voices Foundation, 970-9225406, suzynativevoices@aol.com