"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 Middle Eastern tribes, led by the Persians, Babylonians, Egyptians
- pictographs in Luxor Temple dated 3,000 BC - developed the art
of fencing as sport. The Oriental tribes, led by the Koreans in
2333 B.C., invented martial arts - mastery was required of national
leaders. 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."
Contact: Native Voices Foundation, 970-922-5406
Native
Voices Foundation
|