BEMIDJI — Culture and sportsmanship were on full display at the inaugural Unified Indigenous Games Invitational at Bemidji High School on Tuesday.
As part of Special Olympics Minnesota’s partnership with Oneida Nation member Dan Ninham, more than 120 students from eight northern Minnesota high schools participated in several Indigenous activities throughout the morning as a way to share an important part of the culture with students , natives are the same as non-natives.
“My role is to share these Aboriginal games, and there are several,” Ninham said before the event. “There are different ways of moving and (students) connect with Indigenous thinking as they practice those ways.”
Maggi Fellerman / Bemidji Pioneer
Each school switches between eight stations — led by Bemidji State students in a developmental adaptive physical education class taught by Shirley Holloway — with games including Indigenous versions of tag and pretend canoe paddling. Ninham added that each site allows students to connect with the sociocultural meaning of Aboriginal physical activity.
“In some areas, we talk about these games in the past tense, and some of them are real, but others are not,” Ninham said. “The Aboriginal gaming movement is still going on, so (this event) is part of that.”
Considering his 38-year teaching career before retiring in 2020, Ninham was named a consultant to Unified Indigenous Games. After retirement, he continued to present Aboriginal culture in area schools.
Maggi Fellerman / Bemidji Pioneer
Ninham’s involvement also contributes to Special Olympics Minnesota’s goal of creating an acceptable school environment. Three interrelated components are used to achieve this goal: Special Olympics Unified Sports, Inclusive Youth Leadership, and Whole-School Engagement.
For Shannon Murray, the school program manager who oversees all Minnesota Special Olympics events in northern Minnesota, incorporating Indigenous aspects into integrated sports is an important part of intercultural learning on behalf of Native American and non-Native students.
“These were the first inclusive sports in this land, so I think it’s really important for us at Special Olympics to learn from that as well,” Murray said.
Maggi Fellerman / Bemidji Pioneer
Murray does substitute teaching at TrekNorth Middle and High School, which was the original idea for the Unified Aboriginal Games.
“I was working with some great students at TrekNorth, and they were talking about doing homegrown games with (Ninham),” recalls Murray. “They asked me, ‘Why don’t we do this for Unified?’ It was a good question, so it inspired me to make this happen.”
The nine months of planning that followed resulted in an event that BHS senior Will Duncan hoped would provide some key takeaways for all participating students, including having fun.
“Just seeing all the new faces, helping with these games, of course, helping with planning some things,” Duncan said, “I hope we learn and learn about the visiting Native tribes … and get involved in these Native games for Special Olympics meeting.”
Participating high schools include Bemidji High School, Voyageurs Expeditionary School, TrekNorth, Red Lake High School, Park Rapids, Menahga, Grand Rapids and Cloquet.
Maggi Fellerman / Bemidji Pioneer
According to their website, Special Olympics Minnesota’s mission is to “provide children and adults with intellectual disabilities with year-round athletic training and competitive competition in the various Olympic sports, giving them continued opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and connect with their Families, fellow Special Olympics athletes and the community share gifts, skills and friendships.”
Building on this mission, the Special Olympics Unified Champions School aims to unite students with and without disabilities through athletics, whole-school activities, and leadership programs to promote inclusion, acceptance, and respect.
Maggi Fellerman / Bemidji Pioneer
About seven years ago, BHS became the first school in the district to become a Uniform Champion School, and last year became the first in the state to implement district-wide uniform programming.
For more information, visit specialolympicsminnesota.org.
Maggi Fellerman / Bemidji Pioneer
Maggi Fellerman / Bemidji Pioneer
Maggi Fellerman / Bemidji Pioneer
