Today’s mainstream perspective of “health and fitness” changes by the decade, yet the interpretation of that very phrase, “health and fitness” can differ greatly from calling it “health and wellness”. For some, exercise gives an energy and confidence boost for the day,while for some others, exercise means working out or training to lose weight and looking good. The simple fact of getting up to move and challenging ourselves has a different purpose for everyone.
Whether it is lifting weights, stretching, hiking or running, exercise is a key component to our physical and mental fitness. For indigenous peoples, running is deeply ingrained in cultures throughout Native America. Running serves as a prayer, a way to communicate, a statement to start the day, and avenue for a pursuit to health. It has been said that running puts the body back in synchronization, a statement that leans on indigenous perspective.
Indigenous Feat – A Scholar’s Pace (1hr 10 mins) features the narratives of how 11 Indigenous people use running as an important mechanism to navigate academic spaces in the academy and beyond. This film is dedicated to the Indigenous runners whose footprints have marked our planet since before the record of time. – Amanda Cheromiah