American Indian Sports Heritage

From precolonial tribal games--such as the Senecas' "snow snake" and the Cheyennes' "chungke"--to the Olympic and professional exploits of Jim Thorpe and Billy Mills, Joseph B. Oxendine examines the role of athleticism in the world of the American Indian. It was through sport and athletic pursuits that many American Indians earned blessings from their heavenly spirits; sports such as lacrosse, for example, evolved from religious rites. Oxendine traces a time line of Indian sports, from the ancient civilizations of the Mayans through the early-1900s era of prominent Indian schools, and also looks at the forces behind the American Indian decline in sports participation in the latter half of the 20th century. --Lance Judd