Lewis grew up on the Hopi reservation. He lived in a time of conflict between the government and the parents of Hopi children. The government wanted all the children in government schools. They eventually took the children by force. Lewis was first at Fort Wingate in New Mexico and then Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania. The philosophy was "kill the Indian, save the child." Even with the trauma, at Carlisle Lewis was introduced to track and field. He would become a long distance runner. He participated in the Olympics of 1908 and 1912 winning the silver medal for the marathon in the 1912 Olympics. He also participated in the Boston Marathon and was ahead for 18 miles, but did not finish the race.
No comments:
Post a Comment