Kolby KickingWoman
ICT
A new hall of fame class of Indigenous athletes and teams were announced this week to be inducted into the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame.
The 2024 group includes 77 athletes and seven teams. Biographies of the 2024 class and all members of the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame can be found on its website.
The hall of fame was founded in 2022 by Dan Ninham, Oneida, and his wife Susan, Red Lake Ojibwe. In the few short years since its inception, Ninham said it has been very well received by athletes and the public at large.
Ninham is a regular contributor to ICT and has long been involved with Indigenous athletics.
Susan added that inductees have given them feedback of their appreciation for the recognition and honor of being in a hall of fame.
“That’s one of the things that I’m really proud to see, that they are really expressing fondness for being in the Hall of Fame,” she said.
Nominations for the hall of fame are fielded throughout the year until Oct. 21 and are accepted in the following categories; athlete, coach, team, builder, media, official and trainer. Ninham said all that were nominated this year were granted induction.
No one individual or team stands above another, Ninham said, saying “ since we’ve started that everyone’s a headliner.”
“There’s so many, so many that are the elite of the elite,” he said. “They’re not only Indigenous athletes, but athletes in themselves.”
One aspect that makes this hall of fame unique is that it has inducted athletes that are currently still competing. Many professional league hall of fames have a grace period between when an athlete retires before they are allowed to be considered for induction.
Posthumous nominations are also considered for both individuals and teams.
In the coming years, Ninham is looking to expand the reach of the hall of fame as well, noting that North America has 27 countries. To that point, this year’s class includes Miguel Lara, a Tarahumara ultrarunner. The Tarahumara are Indigenous to Northern Mexico.
A celebration of this year’s class will take place March 15-16 in Oneida and Green Bay, Wisconsin.
“By honoring and celebrating the empowered journey of these individuals and teams, the hope is their stories may inspire future generations to follow their dreams in athletics,” the hall of fame website states of the celebration.
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