Para el Mes de la Herencia Nativa Americana, celebremos nuestras culturas diversas y prósperas
This blog post is written by our Contributors Circle member Dinée Dorame. Dinée is pictured above, fancy shawl dancing at Yale Powwow 2018. Through the Contributors Circle, we aim to empower and serve the holistic running experience.
The start of November means we are just under a week away from the TCS New York City Marathon, but it also marks the start of Native American Heritage Month (also commonly referred to as American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month). While it is now a federally recognized event, the first-ever state recognized “American Indian Day” took place in May of 1916 in New York – on the traditional homelands of the Lenape.
As a Diné (Navajo) runner, I often feel there is a complicated and sometimes tense history behind these heritage recognition months. In 1916, when that first recognition day was formalized, Native people and tribes were amid a period of forced assimilation at the hands of the United States government. The early 1900s are widely recognized by Indian scholars as the “Allotment and Assimilation Era,” a time where federal Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA) agents were kidnapping Indian children for enrollment in military and religious boarding schools, among other atrocities. This is why, for me, it can be difficult to wrap my head around the duplicitous nature of these holidays. They can feel like empty attempts at reconciliation that result in extra work for Native artists, athletes, activists, scholars, and communities. At the very same time, I understand that, today, the month of November serves as a crucial learning opportunity and moment for us to come together as runners and acknowledge the lands we move on and the significant contributions of Indigenous runners to the sport as a whole. I hope that sharing my personal stories and establishing relationships with other Native runners will help improve access to this sport I love so much.
Running as Tradition and History
Growing up in the Southwest, it was common for me to see other Native runners competing at all levels – from high school cross country races to local 5Ks. It was a blessing to be raised around a strong tradition of running as part of my Indigenous culture. My parents are both lifelong runners and my dad is a track coach, so I always knew running was part of my DNA. As I got older, I started to understand the importance of running to Navajo culture as a ceremonial practice but also a daily discipline. Diné women, specifically, have been running for centuries as part of our Kinaaldá puberty ceremony. Running took on a much deeper meaning for me once I understood that my own ancestors ran as a form of medicine, prayer, and learning.
I think it’s equally important to understand that Native runners have competed at the highest levels of the sport and don’t always run for extremely spiritual reasons. There is so much diversity within our tribal communities; we all come from different languages, backgrounds, and cultures. In my own case, I find myself trying to strike a balance as I approach a start line. It’s impossible to not think about the many Native runners who came before me and even use it as a time of prayer for myself, but I also find myself chasing time goals and reading splits just like anyone else. This complex relationship with running means it’s intertwined with my life and identity in a deep way.
Creating Relationships and Acknowledging History
Despite having a complicated personal relationship with Native American Heritage Month, I am hopeful that more and more race organizers and leaders in the sport are working to recognize Native athletes and communities. This year, I’m proud to say that several Indigenous-led organizations and people (including myself) are working collaboratively with New York Road Runners to make space for the first-ever land acknowledgment and recognition of Native peoples at the Opening Ceremony of the TCS New York City Marathon. This feels like a landmark moment and a real opportunity to forge new relationships in the running space.
I invite Indigenous runners from all nations to join us for marathon weekend. My hope is to see future partnerships grow out of this event and an increase in the number of Native runners participating in the New York City Marathon. Native runners have led the way for generations and will continue to shape the sport in new, innovative, and powerful ways for generations to come. So, let’s recognize and celebrate our thriving and diverse cultures this November with renewed energy.
To learn more about the marathon’s Opening Ceremony, you can visit this page.