Louis Tewanima (1888 – January 18, 1969), also known as Tsökahovi Tewanima and Lewis Tewanima, was an American two-time

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

distance runner and silver medalist in the 10,000 meter run in 1912. He was a

Hopi The Hopi are a Native American ethnic group who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, there are 19,338 Hopi in the country. The Hopi Tribe is a sovereign nation within the Unite ...

Indian and ran for the

Carlisle Indian School The United States Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, generally known as Carlisle Indian Industrial School, was the flagship Indian boarding school in the United States from 1879 through 1918. It took over the historic Carlisle B ...

where he was a teammate of

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe ( Sac and Fox (Sauk): ''Wa-Tho-Huk'', translated as "Bright Path"; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was the first Native ...

. His silver medal in 1912 remained the best U.S. achievement in this event until another Native American,

Billy Mills Billy may refer to: * Billy (name), a name (and list of people with the name) Animals * Billy (dog), a dog breed * Billy (pigeon), awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945 * Billy (pygmy hippo), a pet of U.S. President Calvin Coolidge * Billy, a youn ...

, won the gold medal in 1964. Tewanima also competed at the 1908 Olympics, where he finished in ninth place in the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

.Lewis Tewanima
sports-reference.com

Biography

Tewanima was a

Native American, and spent nearly his entire life on a reservation in Arizona. In 1906, as a result of a dispute between the Hopi and U.S. Government over school education for children, Tewanima was sent to

Fort Wingate Fort Wingate was a military installation near Gallup, New Mexico. There were two other locations in New Mexico called Fort Wingate: Seboyeta, New Mexico (1849–1862) and San Rafael, New Mexico (1862–1868). The most recent Fort Wingate (186 ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

and in 1907 to

, where he became a teammate of Jim Thorpe and won numerous long-distance races. Tewanima once ran the

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was i ...

, in 1909, but he failed to finish after leading the race for 18 miles. After the 1912 Olympics Tewanima returned to his reservation and spent the rest of his life herding sheep, and growing crops. In 1954, he was selected for the all-time U.S. Olympic track & field team, and in 1957 inducted into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame. Tewanima died after falling from a 70-foot cliff while returning home in the night. Tewanima is a running legend to the Hopi tribe and there is a race dedicated to him every year on top of Second Mesa. The race is primarily a 10K and 5K which is held on the Sunday of

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

weekend. The 10K and 5K courses start in the village on top of the mesa and follow a foot trail descends and circles around the mesa. The 10K includes a 3-mile run through a riverbed. The last part of both the 5K and 10K is a climb up stairs back to the top of the mesa where the finish line is located. Among other great runners, Billy Mills has been sighted in attendance at this event called the Louis Tewanima Footrace.The Louis Tewanima Footrac
Website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tewanima, Louis 1888 births 1969 deaths Hopi people Native American sportspeople American male long-distance runners Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field Athletes (track and field) at the 1908 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1912 Summer Olympics Carlisle Indian Industrial School alumni Medalists at the 1912 Summer Olympics 20th-century Native Americans

Biography

See also

References