Third day of the ny2c program and i’m having a great time. Mayan math is always very interesting finding connection with the maya culture and mine the relations between calendars and our mathematics. I had a great time in the game design class my group invented a hybrid of tennis, the mayan ball game, and soccer. It wasn’t very easy but we still had a good time. we also watched spirit games great movie glad to see it for a second time its a beautiful piece thank you so much.
7/9/18chill
Today was fun just sitting by the pool with the other kids soaking up the sun. I’ve seen the movie spirt game before but today for some reason the movie was better, i was thinking it was because we got a little insider and more information.
OK I am 15 now, today i learned some new mayan math and actually understood it . we learned about video game designing then me and my friends went and chilled at the hammocks while listening to music i had tons of fun after that we went to watch the movie spirit game. I watched alejan do his martial art and now i am heading to pack for wishtoyo
Thoughts on “Spirit Game” By Tyvon
Today we watched an amazing film “Spirit Game” it was a privilege to watch this movie the second time it is about the Iroquois Confederacy game, Lacrosse, which they play at an international level this movie was presented to us by Gayle, and TJ. Gayle was an executive producer of the film she is also a Native American Rights Activist always fighting to preserve the way of the Native Americans. TJ was the first Spirit Game Ambassador and is also a Lacrosse player who tried out for the team. This film was just great it showed how important this game was to the Iroquois Confederacy and how the injustices of the Vatican was involved into this movie. Besides the movie in the morning we had academic writing with our wonderful instructor, Shelva she provided help with our prompts. After that we had Mayan Math which we learned how to use an abaco this tool is basically a calculator. Overall this was another exhilarating day at the NY2C program.
The link to the movie is provided below.
Capturing the spirit in “Spirit Game” by James Fenelon
The movie “Spirit Game” captures the ancient practice of Iroquois Native Americans in what most interpret as Lacrosse. While the developing of what we know as Lacrosse is an interesting story, the movie displayed the struggle of modern day Iroquois Natives trying to be represented properly in the very practice which originated from them. Oppression among many Indigenous communities still happens today and this movie brings one of those major issues to light.
Spirit Game JOSHUA
Spirit game was a good movie because it was about a really good sport that these people really liked. I liked how they played the sport and how the sport was very important to the sport. The people were really good at the sport because the sport was a big part of their life.
Jarrod’s 4th day: Spirit Game
I have watched this film last year when I was at the Native Youth to College Program last year but i still loved watching it as if I was watching it for the first time. I just love watching sports and even if i knew what the end result was, I still had my hopes up and would actually get hyped. I also loved seeing indigenous people fight for their people when they weren’t allowed to cross without an U.S. passport. I’m glad that they keep the game alive in their nation, since other nations have lost their way.
Day 2 Spirit Game
Today was full of wonderful moments! It started for me at 6am waking up and walking outside to find Cuauhtli and Jasson ready to run. We ran around all the campuses and then went to Indigenous games with Hector. It was fun starting the day off in the early golden light and finding the energy in ourselves to run and run and run. Throughout the day we toured Pomona College, ate delicious food, swam in the pitzer pool and then watched Spirit Game. The movie was very inspiring and it just so happened that one of our mentors my amazing friend Phil who I love is from one of the 6 nations, whose team the film followed. I loved the movie because it had me hanging off my seat hoping the Iroquois team would win and taught me a lot about the history of the 6 nations and how colonization continues to affect them today. There was a moment in the film where the Canadian Coach was sitting next to one of the Chiefs. They were sitting in the tribal councils log building. The film had just discussed how the Kanadian team refused to get their passports stamped. The coach said it was just a big misunderstanding and laughed it off. There are subtitles during this sequence because the chief’s words are a muffled by one side of his lips. He explains that he recently had a stroke. The Kanadian coach says some words about how canada needs to treat its Native people better. It seems like he is trying to seem progressive, even though his team just refused to respect the sovereignty of the nations by getting their passports stamped. The chief doesnt look at the coach, but with clear eyes describes how men come to him and think they can spent a couple minutes with him and learn the history. They come to him without knowing anything about his people. They expect his people to sit down and tell them the history, quickly and then they leave. The subtitles roll across the screen and the coaches eyes flicker behind his fake smile. The chief continues describing the ignorant men who come. His eyes do not look in the coach’s direction.
The coach at the beginning of the interview smiles at the chief sickly sweet as if telling him youre just a sweet old man. But the chief smiles and shows that the coach and the country of canada are ignorant fools. Such ignorant fools. But so dangerous.
It was a great day. I cant wait for tomorrow.
Johanna – Day Two of Expanding My Knowledge
Today, on July 12, 2017, we the students of the Native Youth to College Program at Pitzer College, had the privilege to view an amazing film, Spirit Game: Pride of a Nation created and directed by Gayle Anne Kelley. Gayle was adopted into the Onodaga Nation because of the amazing work she has been working on and demonstrating her love and passion through the variety of events and ceremonies she has participated in. Her creating this film and sharing it with the world is very inspirational because it contains so much information that youth can see what our fellow natives went through. This film was not only focused on the game of lacrosse, but focused on everything that was connected to one another.
In the beginning of the film you see how the Iroquois Nationals from Haudenosaunee had the challenge of not being accepted into the international competition because they were not considered to be a nation. Eventually throughout the movie, you see how the nations come together and celebrate their differences culture and traditions form their nations. One of the moments that inspired me the most in the film, was the scene when the New Zealand nation and the Haudenosaunee nation came together and shared their culture with each other, but also the coach, Rich Kilgour from the Iroquois Nationals exchange a lacrosse stick made by family members of the players. The lacrosse sport was not only a sport to the Haudenosaunee nation, but it was medicine. Medicine for the: players, children, women, family members, but it was also used as a healing medicine, setting a prayer and expressing themselves.
So with that being said, I want to thank Gayle Anne Kelley for creating such a beautiful and inspiring film to our world. Learning new information and possibly show other fellow youth what I received from this film, because I know some young human beings can not connect to this movie because they do not know their nation and were not raised into learning their culture and language. Hopefully, I can be a leader to them. So once again, I thank you, Gayle for sharing this film and thank Pitzer College for having this connection with inspiring, beautiful human beings.
always happy, Johanna Osuna
nativeyouth2college.org 