In an effort to integrate more cultural events into its curriculum, Durango School District 9-R celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day by hosting its first-ever Native Traditional Games on Monday.
Students from across the district gathered at Fanto Park to participate in traditional Indigenous games and enjoy catering from Serious Texas BBQ, marking a day of cultural connection and celebration.
The school district has worked to include Indigenous games into its curriculum to give Native American students a stronger sense of belonging and all students a better understanding of Southwest Colorado’s Native American history and heritage.
Participants played traditional games like Double Ball, Rock in Fist and Arrow Throw.
Double Ball was a precursor to what is commonly known today as lacrosse, said Orlando Griego, the Title VI Native American Education Program manager for 9-R.
Title VI utilizes funding from the federal government to provide services for Native American students and families in the district.
The game uses a double ball, which consists of two balls, often made of leather and stuffed with materials, tied together with a short length of leather or string. Players also use sticks, similar to lacrosse sticks but without nets to catch the ball.
The goal of the game is to throw or fling the double ball between team members using the sticks and eventually get the ball to hit or pass through a goal, often a pair of upright poles or markers. Teams try to score points by completing the action.
The game incorporates certain gender-specific rules. While teaching it, Griego explained that men are not allowed to bump into anyone during play. However, women can bump into other women, and girls can bump into girls, but adults are not permitted to bump into children.
Griego told the students that one of the lessons of the game was respect.
If a player is knocked down, the game pauses, and the opposing player is required to help them back up.
“I think when we introduced this, everyone was a little unsure at first as to what we're doing,” Griego said. “As we jumped into it, and we talked about why we're doing it, and the significance behind it – I think there's a deeper meaning for a lot of the students and it can relate to them,” Griego said about integrating Native American games into the district’s curriculum.
The school district began implementing traditional Native American games like stick in fist and arrow throw into its physical education curriculum in the fall of 2023.
The idea for the games began with students from Park Elementary at one of the Native American Crew gatherings, a period of the day when students meet for 30 minutes to discuss character traits and goal-setting. The crew wanted to get outside and share their culture with all students at the school.
Cultural representation is important to Native American students in the district, said Park Elementary School Native American Liaison Jennifer Fernandez.
“I think the gatherings are the most important, because you notice we have so many different tribes here,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez said incorporating cultural representation into the curriculum helps Native American students stay engaged, and studies have shown it positively impacts dropout rates and attendance.
“I'd like to see it continue to grow, because it brings such deep cultural awareness and that awareness, it affects the kids,” Fernandez said of the district’s Native American programming.
Students also played games like arrow throw which simulates traditions of hunting big or small game.
Arrow throw is a traditional Native American game and skill challenge that focuses on accuracy and distance. It is often a test of both strength and precision.
Griego described rock in fist as “more of an intuition game.”
The game is usually played with two teams or individuals, but it can also be played by larger groups. One player starts by holding a rock in one of his or her hands while keeping both hands closed.
The other player or team tries to guess which hand holds the rock. Sometimes, a player will move their hands or attempt to distract their opponent to make the guessing more difficult.
If the guesser correctly identifies the hand with the rock, they score a point or win that round. If the guess is wrong, the player hiding the rock may win the point or continue with the next round.
In recent years, 9-R has incorporated other cultural elements to ceremonious events. In 2022, the district welcomed a Native American drum group to perform at halftime of the high school’s homecoming football game. The high school also has a Native American graduation ceremony at the end of the school year.
In previous years, students at Park Elementary School have made blue corn mush in celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day as a way to help foster cultural understanding.
“We want our students to be proud of who they are,” Griego said.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
