ABSTRACT
In the post-World War II era, Mesquaki athletes were vital to a winning season. During my study, I collected a number of nostalgic stories told by whites about Tama High School’s lost “golden era” of Indian athletes. These white stories of loyal, dedicated Indian athletes evoked some very enduring personal memories. As I listened to whites go on about the good old days, the image of Mesquaki athletes running home after football practice popped into my head. Their long hair waved in the wind as they ran, laughing and joking in Mesquaki. They cut a very romantic image for those of us who grew up on hardscrabble farms and measured our self-worth in sweat and muscle. As a young
athlete, I often wondered if I was “man enough” to run three miles home after a hard practice. There I was, the objective professional anthropologist, celebrating Indians as “natural athletes” with exceptional physical prowess.
