JenHappy Native American Heritage Day! Although I am not native, I want to recognize that I am writing this from Kiikaapoi land and pay tribute to the indigenous athletes in the action sports scene.
Surfing is probably the first sport that comes to mind when you think “indigenous” and “action sports”. It was invented by aboriginal Hawaiians and popularized by the legendary Duke Kahanamoku. Then there was Eddie Aikau and Michael and Derek Ho, the first kanaka maoli (native Hawaiian) to win an ASP World Championship.
However, Surfer Magazine noted that the sport hasn’t been free from colonialism, as Sunny Garcia is the only other kanaka maoli with a title from the World Championship Tour 20 years ago and both Kalani Robb and Michael’s daughter Coco Ho are retired.
I will make the disclaimer that I’ve not seen Coco and her brother Mason explicitly referred to as kanaka maoli , but their dad and uncle definitely have as quarter-native Hawaiians and I am recognizing their ancestry. Mason joins Ezekiel Lau and Koa Rothman as a new generation of native Hawaiians looking for a spot on the prestigious tour. Koa’s brother Makua has made a name of himself in big wave surfing.
From the beach to the slopes, Canadian snowboarder Spencer O’Brien grew up as a member of the Haida Kwakwakw’wakw First Nation. She done outreach to promote wellness in First Nations communities and donated equipment to the First Nations Snowboard Team. Her 2014 Sochi teammate, Caroline Calvé is an Algonquin alpine snowboarder.
The accessibility of skateboarding has allowed the sport to spread among various indigenous communities and become a form of outreach. Rosie Archie created Nations Skate Youth to help inspire indigenous youth while teaching them to preserve their culture. Lenni Lenape-Irish pro Jim Murphy, who’s skated for Alva Skateboards in the 80s, has co-founded two non-profits: Stronghold Society and Nibwaakaawin (Wisdom) and the company Wounded Knee Skateboards. Another 80s pro, Tommy Guerrero of Bones Brigade fame, is of Ohlone descent.
Wounded Knee isn’t the only native-owned skateboard company. Apache Skateboards was spotlighted in the documentary The Mystery of Now and has a team of indigenous riders including Doug Miles Jr. (co-founder), Tracy Polk Jr., and Di’Orr Greenwood. Di’Orr is actually Navajo and makes he own custom wood-burned decks. Going back to Canada, Colonialism Skateboards broke barriers in sponsoring the first residential school survivor-turned-skater Joe Buffalo.
BMX’s indigenous athletes come from the Southern Hemisphere. Khalen Young competed in Men’s BMX Racing in the 2012 Olympics and is descended from one of the Aboriginal “Stolen Children”. Jed Mildon is called the “Maori Warrior” by his Nitro Circus castmates and has done the haka before their shows in New Zealand.
There are more native action sports athletes making waves than this list and probably a few big names I missed. However, the point of this post is to make sure the pioneers are not forgotten and to support the ones who are either competing or making action sports more accessible. As indigenous youth get more opportunities to pursue a passion, we’ll start to see more representation and hopefully hear the stories that need to be told.
To the Power of X 