The Native American Identity in Sports: Creating and Preserving a Culture

On October 15, 1964 Billy Mills became the only American to win an Olympic Gold Medal for the 10,000 meters. It was but one notable triumph in sports by a Native American. Yet, unlike Mills's achievement, most significant contributions from Native Americans have gone unheralded. From individual athletes, teams, and events, it is clear that the "Vanishing Americans" are not vanishing—but they are sadly overlooked. The Native American Identity in Sports: Creating and Preserving a Culture not only includes, but goes beyond the great achievements of Billy Mills to note numerous other instances of Native American accomplishment and impact on sports. This collection of essays examines how sport has contributed to shaping and expressing Native American identity—from the attempt of the old Indian Schools to “Americanize” Native Americans through sport to the “Indian mascot” controversy and what it says about the broader public view of Native Americans. Additional essays explore the contemporary use of the traditional sport Toka to combat obesity in some Native American communities, the Seminoles’ commercialization of alligator wrestling—a “Native” sport that was, in fact, only developed as a sport due to interest from tourists—and much more. The contributions to this volume not only tell the story of Native Americans’ participation in the world of sports, but also how Native Americans have changed and enriched the sports world in the process. For anyone interested in the deep effect sport has on culture, The Native American Identity in Sports is an indispensable read.

Table of Contents:
Preface Chapter One: Building a Library Collection: Fifty Years of Native American Athletes, Sports and Games on Film Daisy V. Domínguez Chapter Two: Asserting Native American Agency in an Assimilationist Institution Stacy Sewell Chapter Three: Amateur Boxing and Assimilation at the Stewart Indian School, Carson City, Nevada, 1935-1948 Andrew McGregor Chapter Four: Federal Indian Boarding Schools in New Mexico Sean Sullivan Chapter Five: American Indian Collegiate Athletes: Accessing Higher Education Through Sport Ali Christie Chapter Six: Toka: Empowering Women and Combating Obesity in Tohono O’odham Communities Kathy Brookes Chapter Seven: Native American Wrestling Frank Salamone Chapter Eight: Grappling with Tradition: The Seminoles and the Commercialization of Alligator Wrestling Andrew Frank Chapter Nine: Sacred Ground and Ground Strokes: the Development of Native American Tennis Misty May Jackson and Jannus Roossien Cottrell Chapter Ten: Olympic Champion, Lakota Warrior Andrew McGregor and Billy Mills Chapter Eleven: The Coldest War: Billy Mills, the 1960 Olympics and the Understandings of Native American Cold War Race Relations Dan Taradash Chapter Twelve: On the Offensive: Anti-Indian Racism in the Creation and Contestation of the NCAA Ban on Native American Mascots Richard King

About the Author :
Frank A. Salamone is emeritus professor and past Chair of Sociology and Anthropology at Iona College, New Rochelle, NY. He has authored or edited more than 10 books and over 100 articles. His recent books include The Lucy Memorial Freed Slaves’ Home, with Virginia Salamone, The Italians of Rochester, NY: 1940-1860, and The Culture of Jazz: Jazz as Critical Culture.

Review :
This work provides a unique look at the impact Native Americans have had on American sports and explores the reasons why many of these achievements have gone unheralded in the sports history books. The work also explores sports that are special to the Native American culture, such as Native American tennis and the Seminole's custom of alligator wrestling, as well as the debate over using Native Americans images as sports mascots. Edited by a professor emeritus of sociology and anthropology at Iona College, New York, the volume takes an all encompassing look at how Native Americans are represented in the world of sports. The theme of identity and the tensions between American Indian and American identities runs throughout these 12 essays. While sport was presented as a means of assimilation, as it was for many other cultures, in many instances it served to articulate a more powerful Native American character. As a whole, the collection covers a wide range of sports and experiences, from the early-20th-century boarding schools to current disputes over the persistence of Native American mascots. The contributions represent a wide range of disciplines and approaches, including history, sociology, and cultural anthropology, to provide greater insight into the ways in which sport has been used by Native Americans. Perhaps most notable is the variety of sports considered in the collection. While boxing and even lacrosse were seen as ways of demonstrating manliness, basketball, tennis, track and field, and other endeavors were also important as American Indians struggled to find a balance between competing identities. Although each essay offers a brief exploration, the complete volume highlights Native peoples' important contribution to the world of sports. Summing Up: Recommended.