Sports Labels–Batch 2
Identity
Play, games and sports are essential in the creation and maintenance of identity. They provide lessons of self-esteem, integrity and responsibility.
Culture and identity are significant for variety, originality and creativity. They broaden our perspective and give us knowledge, meaning and understanding, concepts vital for civic associations.
Gaming activities build social commitment through teamwork and trust; they strengthen the bond of the person to the community. Historically, sports have been valued for their ability to bring social groups together, instill pride among disparate individuals and establish empathy.
Baseball
American Indians were introduced to baseball in boarding schools in the late 19th century. Traditional racquet games that they played as children provided the agility and coordination needed to excel on the baseball diamond.
With the early popularity and growth of baseball, a number of boarding-school students joined the growing number of traveling professional teams. Traveling with teams allowed for adventure and showmanship and a chance to prove that American Indians were able to be successful competitors.
Football
No team did more to popularize American football than the Carlisle Indian Industrial School team in the early 20th century, led by All-American halfback Jim Thorpe. With a student body of only 1,000, the team utilized stunts, tricks and the newly introduced forward pass to defeat every major college football program of the era.
American Indian football teams captured the nation’s attention in the early 20th century. Carlisle stormed its way across the Northeast with a winning percentage of .647 and a 1912 championship. Haskell Institute in Lawrence, Kansas, had very successful early years with victories against the universities of Missouri, Nebraska and Texas.
Today, many boarding schools have dropped their football programs, but there are still a number of players of American Indian and Polynesian heritage in all leagues.
Golf
Golf is a newer game in the American Indian sporting repertoire. In the last part of the 20th century, ethnic representation in major golf tournaments increased.
Rod Curl (Wintu), the first American Indian to play in the PGA, won the 1974 Colonial National Invitational, beating golf legend Jack Nicklaus. Curl’s two sons play professional golf. Notah Begay III (Diné) is perhaps the best known Native golfer today, with four major victories. Begay has played on two national teams, the Walker Cup (1995) and the Presidents Cup (2000).
Native women are also making strides in professional golf. Alexandra Schulte (Northern Ute), one of the most prominent players, attended the University of Arkansas and has played professionally since 2012.
Boxing
During the early boarding-school period, the golden age of boxing was in full swing. With the sport’s growing popularity, rules were adopted to make the contests more consistent and fair. Many boarding schools fielded talented boxing teams. The Chilocco Indian Agricultural School team won Oklahoma’s first Golden Gloves team competition in 1936.
With the decline of football programs, boxing became increasingly important in the boarding-school system. Currently there are more than 100 boxing clubs in American Indian communities. The emphasis of these clubs is to encourage pride while developing healthy attitudes.
Surfing and Sledding
Surfing is one of the rare sports where nature is an opponent. There is no confirmed record of surfing’s beginnings. Most scholars agree that it developed in Polynesia and Indonesia simultaneously, eventually making its way to Hawaii before European contact. In the late 18th century, the voyages of Captain Cook brought back stories about the marvelous activity that would become known as surfing.
Surfing is deeply rooted in Hawaiian culture and an important part of their early religion. After the arrival of missionaries in the early 19th century, surfing was banned. In the early 20th century, Duke Kahanamoku became known and credited for re-introducing surfing to the modern world.
Skating
Connections to individual style and flair and an affinity for freedom of expression make skateboarding a popular sport among young American Indians.
Skating challenges physical abilities and provides a platform for personal creativity. As a growing sport on reservations, it has become an outlet for youth regularly faced with difficult social and economic circumstances.
Rodeo
With the introduction of the horse in the early 1600s, skills used in rodeo began to develop. Wild horses required roping and taming. Young men gained prominence and position in the tribe by showcasing their skills and courage and obtaining large herds. Indian men easily became adept in the tasks required for cattle ranching and rodeo.
In the late 19th century, rodeo events provided an opportunity for adventure as well as prestige within their community. Many individuals took up traveling with Wild West shows.
Today, Indian rodeo has a large number of participants throughout the West and Canada. There are numerous regional associations, and 700 events are held annually sanctioned by Indian National Finals Rodeo, Inc.
Sport and Art
Labels
Sport and Art
Sport is human expression. Many American Indian groups developed creation stories that included sport as an integral activity of the earliest people, animals or gods.
The instruction supplied through creation narratives helped form people’s culture and customs. The stories told are often action-oriented, imaginative and prized for their ability to teach.
As enduring traditions, sport and art express and shape our attitudes and beliefs. They are treasured both for their own sake and for the significant lessons they provide for existence, reflection, survival and celebration.
Early Games of Skill
Competitive games have been a part of American Indian communities since time immemorial. Many early games were an important component to religious customs or seasonal gatherings.
Games of skill involved activities requiring dexterity, strategy and stamina. They were played by young men as training for a life dependent on hunting, tracking and physical combat.
Through these games, people developed ideas of tactics, teamwork and the endurance essential to success on the playing field and in everyday life.
Early Games of Chance
Games of chance were played by men and women. These activities mainly consisted of tossing, guessing and concealment, requiring participants to be intuitive and focused.
Successful players of chance games were seen as having special intellectual abilities. Participation in these activities provided individuals a chance to prove their mental prowess and outwit their opponent.
Games of chance provided more than amusement, they also allowed for bonding and sharing among tribal and family members that lived apart.
Mesoamerican Ball Games
Mesoamerican ball games are depicted in the surviving archeology records throughout Central America and Mexico. Similar ball games were also played in the pre-contact American Southwest.
Most of what is known about the games comes through tableaus and murals, and a limited number of surviving artifacts of the Classic Mesoamerican period ranging from A.D. 200 to 500.
Exactly how the game was played is not known. However, many of the early cultures left monumental arenas, suggesting the value and importance of the game.
Ball Games
Early ball construction was as diverse as the games themselves. Equipment of early ball games varied according to tribal customs and available materials. Ball games were played as simple kick games or complex racket games with teams, boundaries and goals.
Running
Running is the oldest activity shared by all people of the Americas. Historically, people had to run for tracking, hunting, scouting, trade and war. Running also provided the means for communication of ideas and between villages.
Races of the past were more than practical organizers of communities, they were also important for the maintenance of culture. Many tribal communities have running folklore and stories that describe epic races between gods and early animals.
Indian people value the experience of running for itself and for the connection it provides to the world around them.
Territorial Field Games
The boarding-school system in the late 19th century introduced many Indian men to team field sports. Games such as football and baseball had similar physical requirements as the traditional Native games of lacrosse, double ball and shinny.
Women took part in physical arts but did not participate in rigors of competitive games until the introduction of basketball. Indian adolescents took to the new games with ease, as life at home included many games of strength, stamina and agility.
Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe (1887-1953) was the first All-American and a classic sports hero. He was named the “Greatest Football Player and All-around Male Athlete of the First Half of the Twentieth Century” by a 1950 Associated Press poll of sportswriters.
Posthumously honored by a United States Senate resolution as the “Athlete of the Century,” Thorpe is a member of the National Track and Field Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame, the Professional Football Hall of Fame and the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame.
Thorpe’s athletic ability has been recognized by many, but perhaps his greatest feat was being the only athlete to win gold medals in both the decathlon and pentathlon, in the 1912 Olympics.
Stickball and Lacrosse
Stickball and lacrosse are two of the oldest team sports in North America. The exact origin of the games is unknown, but their importance has been passed down through generations. Both games are part of the creation stories for tribal communities and still hold a strong connection to prayer and ritual.
Although the Southeastern stickball game has remained largely local, lacrosse has become an international sport. It is the national sport of Canada and has been a medal sport in the 1904 and 1908 Olympics.
Today there are approximately 29 countries competing in the World Lacrosse Championships. In 2014, the Iroquois Nationals defeated Australia for the bronze, securing their best result ever.
Basketball
Invented in 1891 by James Naismith, basketball is one of the later sports introduced to American Indian communities. It is one of the only sports where women’s and men’s games developed simultaneously.
In the late 19th century, women attending boarding schools did not have many opportunities to play sports. Basketball was one of the exceptions, and since its introduction, American Indian women have excelled.
Steeped in tradition, American Indian women’s basketball has had many recent standouts in the largest women’s professional league, the WNBA.
Beautiful Games item labels
[EARLY GAMES OF SKILL]
Inupiaq
Untitled, c. 1900
Graphite, paper
Collection of Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center
Cup’ik
Dart table with darts, mid-1900s
Wood, paint
Collection of Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center
Inuit, Coral Harbour, Arctic Québec
The Wrestling Game, c. 1960s
Stone
Dr. E. Daniel Albrecht Collection
George Aden Ahgupuk
Inupiaq
Untitled, c. 1950
Ink, hide
The blanket toss originated as a wayfinding activity for traveling or hunting parties. Eventually it became part of a celebration for the close of the whale-hunting season. Today it is a demonstration event at the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics. Participants are judged on height, style and landing.
Collection of Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center
Alaska
Carving, n.d.
Bone, walrus ivory
Dr. E. Daniel Albrecht Collection
William Ukpatiku
Baker Lake Inuit, b. 1935
Bone game, 1970s
Bone, cord, pigment
Dr. E. Daniel Albrecht Collection
Brian Honyouti
Hopi, b. 1947
Ball-game carving, 1985
Cottonwood root, paint
Heard Museum purchase, NA-SW-HO-F-756
Hopi, Second Mesa
Child’s double ball game, 1969
Wood, painted, string, canvas
Heard Museum purchase, NA-SW-HO-G-6a through c
Nez Perce
Bow, early 1900s
Wood, sinew, rawhide
Heard Museum purchase, NA-PT-NP-D-1
Navajo
Bow, 1947
Wood, sinew
Gift of Miss Marion R. Plummer and Mr. and Mrs. Stanley W. Plummer, NA-SW-NA-D-3a
Hopi
Rabbit stick, early 1900s
Wood, paint
Fred Harvey Fine Arts Collection, Heard Museum, 506CI
Santo Domingo Pueblo
Rabbit stick, c. 1800
Wood
Heard Museum purchase, NA-SW-SO-I-3
[EARLY GAMES OF CHANCE]
Alaska
Game pieces, c. 1200-1700
Walrus ivory
These bird pieces were tossed onto a playing surface, and counting was measured depending on how they landed, either upright or sideways.
Dr. E. Daniel Albrecht Collection
Inuit, Hudson Bay
Cribbage board, 1912
Walrus ivory
Gift of the Backer Family Trust, 4663-1a through f
Hopi
Sosotukpi, c. 1911-1913
Cottonwood root
This game was played by hiding the ball under one of the figures and testing the participant’s perception.
Fred Harvey Fine Arts Collection, Heard Museum, 614CI-617CI and 1006CI
Tsimshian, British Columbia, Canada
Stick game and bag, c. 1905
Mammal skin, animal bone, copper, maple
Collection of Canadian Museum of History
Apache
Playing cards, 1864-1868
Hide, paint
Gift of Mr. Robert Forhl, NA-SW-AP-G-1a through f
Arapaho
Bone and needle game, c. 1920
Metal, glass seed beads, thread, hide, sinew, bone
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Byron Harvey III, 3084-51A
Bruce Wynne
Spokane, 1944-2003
Card Game (Spokane), 1970
Watercolor on paper
Card games were a popular form of play among many American Indian groups, perhaps because of their availability and ease of carrying.
Heard Museum purchase, IAC338
Jane Hyden
Navajo
Navajo Shoe Game, 2008
Wool, dye
Heard Museum purchase, 4544-1
Yokuts
Gambling tray, early 1900s
Grass, redbud bark, bracken-fern root
Heard Museum purchase, NA-CB-YO-G-2
Yokuts
Dice, early 1900s
Acorn, pitch, abalone shell
Heard Museum purchase, NA-CB-YO-G-4
[MESOAMERICAN BALL GAMES]
Classic Period Maya
Jar, A.D. 300-900
Ceramic
This jar represents a Mayan ball player. Note the protective belt (yoke) and knee pads. The game was played with a 10-pound solid rubber ball, which was hard and probably caused many injuries as players hurled themselves into it to keep it in play while attempting to score.
Collection of Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of the American Indian
Classic Period Maya
Yoke, A.D. 900-1521
Stone
The carved stone yoke depicts the protective belt worn by Mesoamerican ball players.
Collection of Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of the American Indian
El Tajín, Veracruz
Palma, A.D. 750-1000
Stone
Stone palmas are believed to have been used as some type of field marker. They have been identified as some of the finest stone carvings from the early Maya culture.
Collection of Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of the American Indian
[BALL GAMES]
Arikara
Double ball, c. 1890
Hide, beads, sinew
Collection of Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of the American Indian
Pomo
Ball, early 1900s
Laurel wood
This ball was probably used for a racket game like lacrosse. It is well carved and the proper size.
Fred Harvey Fine Arts Collection, Heard Museum, 111CI
Chukchi, Siberia
Ball, c. 1900
Cotton, leather, suede, thread, reindeer hide, sealskin
Gift of Mrs. John C. Lincoln, NA-ES-G-13
Northwest Mexico
Game ball, c. 1920
Wood
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Henry S. Galbraith, 3309-389
Hopi
Pitch ball, late 1800s
Pitch, hair
Kick ball was common in the Southwest. The game was frequently played by kicking and running along a pre-determined course, but it was also used during travel and ceremonies.
Fred Harvey Fine Arts Collection, Heard Museum, 1073CI
Hohokam
Stone ball, c. 1500
Stone balls had many uses. They were used for games, counters, weapons, pestles or hammer stones. The most common use for this size and weight was the kick-ball race.
Heard Museum Collection, NA-SW-HH-G-1
[RUNNING/BILLY MILLS]
George Catlin
American, 1792-1872
Footrace Behind Mandan Village, 1832-1833
Oil on canvas
Collection of Smithsonian Institution, American Art Museum
Jason Garcia
Santa Clara Pueblo, b. 1973
The Flash, 2013
Ceramic, paint
Collection of Charles King
Hopi
Kokopelli, late 1800s
Cottonwood root, paint
The katsina runners are enforcers. Their aim is to keep people obedient and to dispense discipline. Runners from the pueblo have to stay in front of the katsina or be punished.
Fred Harvey Fine Arts Collection, Heard Museum, 914CI
Hopi
Squash/Patun, late 1800s
Cottonwood root, paint
Fred Harvey Fine Arts Collection, Heard Museum, 935CI
Hopi
Chipmunk/Koona, late 1800s
Cottonwood root, paint
Gift of Senator Barry M. Goldwater, NA-SW-HO-F-238
Hopi
Dragonfly/Kwitanona, c. 1900
Cottonwood root, paint
Gift of Senator Barry M. Goldwater, NA-SW-HO-F-406
Summer Peters
Saginaw Ojibwe of Michigan, b. 1977
Billy Mills Gold, 2014
Czech glass beads, artist board, fabric acrylic
Brenda and Wilson Pipestem Collection
Drake Relays cross country trophy, 1927
Bronze, wood
The inaugural Drake Relays were held in 1910 on the campus of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. It is regarded as one of the top track and field events in the United States. Hundreds of Olympic gold medalists have competed at Drake Stadium, including Jesse Owens, Wilma Rudolph, Carl Lewis and Bruce Jenner.
Collection of U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs
Billy Mills
Haskell Indian Nations University, 1956
Collection of the U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs
Jacket and pants worn by Billy Mills
1964 Summer Olympics, Tokyo, Japan
Mills entered Haskell University in the early 1950s. Later he joined the University of Kansas track team, where he earned three All-American honors in cross country. After graduating, he joined the Marines, but he soon returned to training. In the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Mills was the first American ever to win gold in the 10,000-meter race.
Collection of Billy Mills
Track shoes worn by Billy Mills
1964 Summer Olympics, Tokyo, Japan
Collection of Billy Mills
Olympic medal won by Billy Mills
1964 Summer Olympics, Tokyo, Japan
Collection of Billy Mills and Dominic Mills-Trunnell
Patricia Mills
American, b. 1941
Wings of an Eagle, 2014
Archival print
The title for this painting comes from the feeling that overcame Billy Mills as he entered the final stretch of his 1964 gold medal–winning performance.
Collection of Patricia Mills
George Rivera
Pueblo of Pojoaque, b. 1964
Billy Mills, 2013
Bronze, stainless steel
Collection of Billy Mills
[JIM THORPE]
Canton Bulldogs football jersey (replica), 2014
Wool
Collection of Allan Ruegsegger, AIS Athletic Uniforms
Football uniform, early 1900s
Pants, socks, shoes, helmet, pads
Collection of Allan Ruegsegger, AIS Athletic Uniforms
Ben Wright
Cherokee, b. 1947
Jim Thorpe All American, 2013
Acrylic on board
Collection of Larry Cianciosi and Scott Derthick
Diego Romero
Cochiti Pueblo, b. 1964
Jim Thorpe bowl (“Never Forget” series), 2001
Ceramic, paint
Collection of Native American Art, Peabody Essex Museum
Trading card, 1991
U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame
Collection of Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame
Trading card, 1992
All World Sports Inc.
Collection of Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame
Olympic decathlon and pentathlon medals awarded to Jim Thorpe, 1983
1912 Summer Olympics, Stockholm, Sweden
Jim Thorpe’s victories in 1912 were overturned by the International Olympic Committee because he had played professional baseball the previous summer. It was not until 1983 that the medals were returned, after a ruling found the IOC did not follow the procedure for contesting a win. These two medals were issued to Thorpe after his ban from the 1912 Stockholm Olympics was rescinded.
Collection of Oklahoma Historical Society
Jim Thorpe
Sac and Fox/Potawatomi, 1888-1953
Jim Thorpe’s History of the Olympics
Authored by Thorpe in collaboration with Thomas F. Collison
Los Angeles: Wetzel Publishing Co., Inc., 1932
Collection of Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame
Gold medal (shot put) awarded to Jim Thorpe, 1912
Triangular Meet
Collection of Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame
Gold medal (hurdles) awarded to Jim Thorpe, 1912
Triangular Meet
Collection of Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame
Gold medal (shot put) awarded to Jim Thorpe, 1912
Middle Atlantic Association Championships
Collection of Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame
Athlete of the Century medal awarded to Jim Thorpe, 2000
Collection of Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame
Athletic letter certificates awarded to Jim Thorpe
Carlisle Industrial School
Football 1907, Baseball 1908, Track 1908
Collection of Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame
[STICKBALL AND LACROSSE]
Donald “Babe” Hemlock and Carla Hemlock
Mohawk of Kahnawake, b. 1961 and b. 1961
Continuing the Legacy, 2013
Wood, pine, ash, maple, acrylic paint, glass beads, wool stroud cloth, cotton
This is the first collaboration between husband-and-wife artists Babe and Carla Hemlock. The cradleboard was made to give an additional voice to the Iroquois Nationals lacrosse team and their continued struggle to play the game as Haudenosaunee-Iroquois nationals. The team travels on its own documentation to compete at the international level. In 2010, the United Kingdom denied the team entry on Haudenosaunee passports, causing them to forfeit their chance to compete in the FIL World Lacrosse Championships in Manchester, England.
Collection of the artist
Mississippi Choctaw
Hat, late 1800s
Wool, cotton, glass beads, feather
Collection of Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of the American Indian
Mississippi Choctaw
Tail ornament, late 1800s
Horsehair, wood, cloth
Tail ornaments and accoutrements would be worn by players to gain the essence of the animal’s agility, strength and speed.
Collection of Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of the American Indian
Oklahoma Muscogee Creek
Tail ornament, late 1800s
Mountain lion tail, yarn
Collection of Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of the American Indian
Muscogee Creek
Stickball sticks, 1904
Wood, hide
Collection of Muscogee (Creek) Museum
Doug Hyde
Nez Perce/Assiniboine/Ojibwa, b. 1946
Lacrosse Player, 2013
Indiana limestone
Collection of the artist
Sidney J. White
Choctaw
Choctaw Stickball/Tolih, 1900
The rules and protocol of the stickball game were once maintained through oral traditions. As the game became more secular, the rules were written down for regulation and consistency.
Collection of Oklahoma Historical Society
George Catlin
American, 1796-1872
Ball-play of the Choctaw – Ball Up, 1834-1835
Oil on canvas
Collection of Smithsonian Institution, American Art Museum
Iroquois Nationals lacrosse team jersey, 1996
Collection of Muscogee (Creek) Museum
Modern lacrosse helmet, 1996
Collection of Muscogee (Creek) Museum
Modern lacrosse stick, 1996
Fiberglass, nylon
Collection of Muscogee (Creek) Museum
Mohawk
Lacrosse stick, 1980
Hickory wood and cord
Anonymous lender
Solomon McCombs
Muscogee Creek, 1913-1980
Stick-Ball Game, 1962
Oil on canvas
Collection of Muscogee (Creek) Museum
Frank Buffalo Hyde
Onondaga/Nez Perce
It’s Our Game!, 2014
Acrylic on canvas
Collection of the artist
[BASEBALL]
Chief Meyers
Cahuilla, 1882-1971
Jersey (replica), 2012
Wool
A major league baseball player from 1909 to 1917, Meyers played in four World Series. In 1908 he reported to the New York Giants and led the team in batting for three consecutive seasons. His best season was 1912, when he batted .358 and placed third in MVP voting.
Collection of Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
Baseball glove belonging to Moses Yellowhorse, 1921-1922
Yellowhorse (Pawnee, 1898-1964) went to Chilocco Indian Boarding School in Oklahoma. After graduating, he pitched in the minor leagues, winning a championship in 1920. He played two seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Collection of Baseball Hall of Fame
Baseball glove, 1953
This glove belonged to Allie Reynolds (Creek, 1917-1994), a multiple-sport athlete. He grew up in Oklahoma, where he attended Oklahoma Agricultural & Mechanical College. He played in the major leagues from 1942 through 1954. He pitched for the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees.
Collection of Baseball Hall of Fame
Navajo textile, tribute to Babe Ruth
- 1920s-1930s
Wool, dye
In the late 1920s, Babe Ruth was barnstorming across the country and commissioned this textile while visiting the Southwest. Unfortunately, the textile never made it to the Babe’s wall. It is believed he did not like that the batter was swinging from the wrong side.
Collection of William Neukom
[FOOTBALL]
Shan Goshorn
Eastern Band Cherokee, 1957
NO HONOR, 2014
Sports pennant, arches watercolor paper, archival ink, acrylic paint
Collection of the artist
St. Louis High School jersey
Honolulu, Hawaii, c. 1940
Herman Wedemeyer (Hawaiian, 1924-1999) was a standout in both football and baseball. Wedemeyer attended St. Mary’s College in Moraga, California, and was Hawaii’s first All-American football player. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1979. Wedemeyer was well known for his part as “Duke” in the original Hawaii Five-O television series (1972-1980).
Collection of Bishop Museum
Rose Bowl jersey worn by Jim Warne, 1987
Jim Warne (Oglala Lakota, b. 1964) played on Arizona State University’s first-ever Rose Bowl championship team. He was invited to play in the college all-star game the Hula Bowl in 1987. He was nominated to the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996.
Collection of Jim Warne
Michael Dean Jenkins
Hopi/Pima, b. 1959
Kwikwilyaqa
Cottonwood root, paint
Gift of Neil and Sarah Berman, 4750-4
Jersey worn by Jim Plunkett, 1979
Jim Plunkett (Mission/Mexican American, b. 1947) played at Stanford University. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1970 and went on to play for the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, where he led the team to two Super Bowl victories, in 1981 and 1984.
Collection of the Sports Museum of Los Angeles
1927 football team, Haskell Indian Nations University
Collection of U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs
Football, early 1900s
Leather
Collection of U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs
[GOLF]
Presidents Cup ring, 2000
Gold, diamonds
Collection of Notah Begay III
Presidents Cup trophy, 2000
Sterling silver
Collection of Notah Begay III
Framed plaque
Commemorating 2000 Presidents Cup participation
Collection of Notah Begay III
[BASKETBALL]
1999 Haskell Indian Nations University Women’s Basketball Team
Collection of U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs
Gina Adams
Ojibwe/Lakota, b. 1965
Honoring Modern Unidentified, 2013
Ceramic, encaustic and oil paint
“While researching a group of photographs of Native Americans, I found many to have no identity. They were unidentified; they had lost their name and culture. This work deals with those lost stories. The basketball form represents civilization and the scribed patterns signify individuals layered over the ideas of assimilation.” —Gina Adams, 2014
Collection of Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas
Gina Adams
Ojibwe/Lakota, b. 1965
Game Plan, 2014
Cotton and calico fabric
Collection of the artist
Blouse and bloomers (replica), 2010
Wool
The Fort Shaw Indian Boarding School girls’ basketball team was invited to the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. The team worked at exhibits in the fair’s Indian School Exhibit Hall and made time for playing exhibition games. Fort Shaw played to the championship game against St. Louis and won, being named “Champions of the World.”
Collection of Montana PBS
Basketball (replica), 2010
Leather
Collection of Montana PBS
Jane Hyden
Navajo
Dress, 2012
Wool, dye
This dress was made to pay tribute to the artist’s granddaughter and her athletic achievements at Tuba City High School.
Collection of the artist
Jersey worn by Ryneldi Becenti, 1997
Ryneldi Becenti (Navajo, b. 1971) is the first American Indian to play in the WNBA, the first woman player to have her number hung at the Wells Fargo Arena, and the first woman to be inducted into the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame.
Collection of Sun Devil Athletics
NCAA Women’s Final Four jersey worn by Natalie Diaz, 1997
Collection of Natalie Diaz
[BOXING]
WBC Championship belt, 2011
Worn by George (Comanche Boy) Tahdooahnippah
Comanche, b. 1978
Commercial materials
Collection of George Tahdooahnippah
Robe and trunks, 2012
Worn by George (Comanche Boy) Tahdooahnippah
Comanche, b. 1978
Collection of George Tahdooahnippah
Jamison Chas Banks
Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma/Cherokee Nation, b. 1978
Triumph of the Will 1/14, 2014
Serigraph on paper
Collection of the artist
Inupiaq
Untitled, c. 1900
Graphite, colored pencil, paper
Collection of Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center
Jeffrey Gibson
Cherokee/Choctaw, b. 1972
American Girl, 2013
Found punching bag, wool blanket, glass beads, steel studs, artificial sinew, tin jingles, chain
“The entire series of punching bags is meant to represent individuals who have, against the odds, found an empowered independence. This is the experience I had when working with boxing—you project your obstacles onto the bag and physically work it out. The psychological aspect really made sense to me. The adorning of the bag transforms the bag itself from an everyday object into an individual whose presence and beauty disengage the desire to hit it. This is my intention and the one expressed to me by many. I use a lot of song titles in my work, increasingly so, for many reasons. I listen to music for inspiration, and the lyrics often influence my formal choices. American Girl is named after the Tom Petty song. The song is about someone dreaming of a bigger world, more opportunities and more adventure.” —Jeffrey Gibson, 2014
Collection of Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, Kansas
Boxing gloves, 2014
Worn by members of the Santa Fe Indian School boxing team
Commercial materials
Collection of Santa Fe Indian School
[SURFING AND SLEDDING]
Olympic gold medal awarded to Duke Kahanamoku
1920 Summer Olympics, Antwerp, Belgium
Kahanamoku (Hawaiian, 1890-1968) earned the medal in the 800-meter swimming relay.
Collection of the Bishop Museum
Holua sled replica, n.d.
Wood, cord
As a traditional activity, Native Hawaiians ride these sleds down hillsides or naturally occurring or man-made courses constructed of lava or rocks covered with vegetation. The activity has both religious and sporting associations. A skilled rider can reach speeds of up to 50 mph.
Collection of the Bishop Museum
Surfboard used by Derek Ho, c. 1990
Fiberglass
Derek Ho (Hawaiian, b. 1964) won the Triple Crown of Surfing in Hawaii in 1984, ’86, ’88 and ’89. In 1993, he became the first male Hawaiian and oldest world champion at age 29.
Collection of the Bishop Museum
Surfboard, 1920
Wood
Unlike lighter, modern surfboards, early examples weighed 100 pounds and had little maneuverability. The length of the board varied from 3 to 16 feet and was determined by a person’s rank in the community.
Collection of the Bishop Museum