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NNER - Who We Are & What We Do
Ya'at'eeh! Welcome to the first quarterly NNER e mail newsletter! If you aren’t yet familiar with NNER, we are a volunteer-run 501c3 Non Profit organization that supports Native American Indian distance runners primarily in the Four Corner’s States. We help runners train and compete at the elite level in national road and track competitions. Native traditions, culture and language are an integral part of our mission, given the significance of running to the Native peoples that we are supporting.
We recently expanded our scope of assistance to include qualifying elite runners in the following Native communities in AZ, NM, CO, and UT:
- Navajo Nation
- Hopi Tribe
- Ute Mountain Tribe
- Southern Ute Tribe
- Jicarilla Apache Tribe
- The Rio Grande Pueblos of Sandia, Zuni, Taos, Picuris, San Juan, Nambe, San Ildefonso, Pajoaque, Santo Domingo, Jemez, Zia, Santa Ana, Isleta, Laguna, Tesuque, Cochiti, San Felipe, and Acoma
For more information, please visit our website at: www.nativerunners.org/main/.
NNER Logo
NNER recently created a new logo which better represents our expanded mission to assist all Native American runners in the Four Corners area. This is more than just a logo for us though as a tremendous amount of thought went into its design and meaning.
The logo embodies the shared purpose and philosophy that bonds the NNER board members, supporters and sponsors in pursuit of the goal to assist Native American runners. The logo also expresses the pureness of our mission to assist athletes, by supporting their needs with an understanding of the traditional meaning of running.
Some highlights about the meaning of different aspects of our logo:
- For NNER, the rainbow bending around the outside of the logo represents the journey to Olympics.
- The outside blue border represents protection during this journey while the inside yellow border represents spirituality.
- Long ago, native runners raced with shadows of the clouds and, in a sense, were running ON the clouds where the rainbow lives.
- The man figure within the rainbow symbolizes protection and harmony. This is representative of a runner’s spiritual journey into harmony through passion, commitment, and discipline.
Overall, our logo represents how our organization and like-minded supporters work together to help Native American runners to be successful in their journey to realize an Olympic dream.
We Are Looking For Few Good Runners!
Our primary mission is to support elite Native American runners with a range of services and financial assistance. This includes training advice, access to coaching and facilities, elite race entries and reimbursement for qualifying expenses related to raining and racing.
Interested in Becoming an NNER Assisted Athlete?
Please visit the NNER Website to learn more about becoming an elite runner! www.nativerunners.org
Native American Running Traditions
In each Newsletter we will highlight a different Native American people and how running plays a significant role in their history, traditions and culture.
Zuni Pueblo - Running has always been ingrained in the Native Pueblo history and cultures. Traditional Zuni kick-stick racers would cover distances as far as 40 miles across the desert running barefoot while kicking a small stick. In 1680, Zuni runners played an integral role in the successful revolt against Spanish occupation by running great distances to the surrounding Pueblos with knotted cords to provide a coordinated countdown to the day of the revolt. A commemorative relay run in 1980 duplicated the 375-mile leg between Taos, New Mexico and the Hopi villages on Second Mesa in Arizona. Today, running continues to play a role in Zuni life. To learn more about the commemorative Zuni relay run and other interesting Native American running traditions, refer to an excellent book: Indian Running: Native American History and Tradition by Peter Nabokov.
Want to Get Involved?
There are many ways that you can help NNER in supporting Native American distance runners.
As a small, volunteer-driven organization, we depend on the generosity of individuals and organizations in helping us to fulfill our mission. Monetary donations and in-kind donations of goods and services go a long way in supporting our runners to succeed.
To make a donation, please visit the donation page on our website. NNER offers flexible options for monetary and in-kind donations as well as mutually beneficial partnerships for organizations with a common interest.
If you are a government employee, NNER applies yearly for the AZ, CO, NM and UT Combined Federal Campaigns (CFC)! Federal civilian, postal and military employees can have donations deducted directly from their payroll. More to come in upcoming newsletters!!
Thoughts Until Our Next Run…
"The ultimate is not to win, but to reach within the depths of your capabilities and to compete against yourself to the greatest extent possible. When you do that, you have dignity. You have the pride. You can walk about with character and pride no matter in what place you happen to finish."
- Billie Mills, Lakota Sioux and 10,000m Gold Medalist – 1964 Olympics
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