Four men and women share how they run to represent and remember Indigenous people—and prioritize mental health, too. IndigenousPeoplesDay
, a Ph.D. student studying environmental science at the University of Arizona, started Sko Run Den in 2018. As a Huichol and Pascua Yaqui runner, Jennings was surprised to find that Indigenous people in the Tucson area—despite years of cultural running traditions—were not enjoying the local trails.
“[Non-Indigenous runners] got to see that we actually all have a range of experiences with the outdoors, with our life histories,” she said. “It’s working towards building solidarity and friendship and understanding around Indigenous issues, health issues, land sovereignty issues.” For Jennings, running is a big component of her mental health. As a minority in academia, she has used running as a meditative outlet, and she wants to encourage other Indigenous runners to use it as well.The Weight of Raising AwarenessAfter competing in several races dedicated to raising awareness for missing or murdered Indigenous womxn, two spirit, and relatives, Daniel—who is Kul Wičasa Lakota—began to feel the effects of deep-rooted trauma from immersing herself in the movement.
“I want to be able to fill the holes in a sinking boat with the things that’ll work for me so I don’t have to feel like I’m just covering this issue up,” she said.in Los Olivos, California, on December 15—to help her maintain her joy for running and to relieve her Achilles’ tendon from the roads. This time, she ran for missing or murdered Indigenous womxn, two spirit, and relatives, but she didn’t research new names ahead of the race.
On May 5, when she ran on National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Womxn, Daniel took a more vulnerable approach to the run.
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