Fitness, pride is potent combination for indigenous women's group

The sight of 166 American Indian women and girls paddling across the calm waters of Lake Calhoun in the early hours of Saturday morning represented an intersection of past, present and future.

Clad in brightly colored life jackets, the women ranged in age from 9 to 70 and came from tribes in Iowa, Nebraska, Canada and elsewhere. They put in their silver aluminum canoes on the south beach and paddled north in the direction of the shops, bars, restaurants and high-rises of Uptown.

They tread on what once was native land — Dakota to be specific. Long before the European settlers arrived, Lake Calhoun was largely surrounded by wetlands and known by its ancestral name: Mde Maka Ska, or "White Earth Lake." Back then, the native people who lived in the region fished and harvested wild rice from the lake, as well as gardened on nearby lands.

Today, the bustling Calhoun has a different makeup, so the vision of indigenous women making their way together across the lake was striking. Taking part in what is known as the KweStrong Triathlon, women came together for a fourth year to compete in the canoe-bike-run event. "Kwe" is the Ojibwe word for "woman."

Founded in 2010, KweStrong is the idea of Korina Barry, 28, a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, and twin sisters Lisa and Lucie Skjefte, both 33 and belonging to the Red Lake Nation. Runners themselves, they found that they were constantly getting questions from other indigenous women about how and where to work out in the city. This inspired them to start the triathlon with a goal of inspiring women to be healthy and physically active.

"When we first started this, there were a lot of races every weekend, but we didn't see many women of color and native women, so we wanted to create a space for that," said Barry, who is the director of outreach at the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare at the University of Minnesota's School of Social Work.

"At the time, we didn't know anything about permits, and none of us had ever participated in a triathlon or any other race where there was registration and bib numbers," recalled Lisa Skjefte, who is the Indian community liaison for Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. "Even still, we ended up with almost 80 women participating, and the beauty of what we witnessed was amazing — 30 canoes with women and their daughters and children."

The women say that creating a community of active Indian women has been important, not just for those they've recruited to participate in KweStrong events but also for themselves.

"There's something that happens when I'm running and I reach that point of wanting to break down and then all of a sudden I find strength in the people I run with," Lisa Skjefte said. "Suddenly everything becomes clear — the water sparkles brighter and the trees shine more. Even if my mind wants to give up, my connection to this land and other native women is strong and I know I can do it."

With canoeing being a fundamental part of the KweStrong event docket, she said women draw a significant sense of ancestral strength from the local lakes and rivers.

"I  tell the women that it's in our blood. We are expert canoeists; it's written into our bloodline and is so important to our way of life and who we are as native people," she added.

Through the triathlon and other events, KweStrong is working to emphasize the importance of creating a legacy of health and community engagement for Indian women. It's about helping women connect to their heritage, while lighting the way for a brighter future.

"Being among the other Native American women at the triathlon last year was really empowering, and I wanted my daughter and granddaughter to experience that too," she said. "I wanted to lead by example and show them that anything is possible."

"We envision a healthy, vibrant community, not just for the ones here and now, but for our future generations," Lisa Skjefte said.

Mackenzie Lobby Havey is a freelance writer. She lives in Minneapolis.