Participants in the opening ceremony of the World indigenous Games in Palmas, Brazil, on October 23, 2015. Photo from Facebook

The World indigenous Games are underway in Palmas, Brazil, a unique event that's not just about sports and competition.

About 2,000 indigenous peoples representing nearly 20 countries are participating in the inaugural event. It's based on the successful Indigenous Peoples' Games that take place in Brazil every year.

The opening ceremony last Friday included cultural presentations from a number of indigenous groups. Some used the occasion to protest Brazil's Indian land policies and their nation's unpopular leader, President Dilma Rousseff.

But as the games continue, many are excited to share their teachings with their colleagues from other parts of the world. Young members of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and the Crow Tribe, both from Montana are there, along with a Maori delegation from New Zealand and about two dozen tribes from the host country.

The Canadian delegation at the World Indigenous Games in Brazil. Photo by Lamarr Oksasikewiyin / Twitter

Russia even sent one participant, who wore traditional furs despite the tropical heat, the Associated Press reported.

“We see we’re all in the same boat,” Lamarr Oksasikewiyin, who is from the Sweetgrass First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada, told the AP. “Being here, all together, it becomes so clear.”

The event included a pageant on Saturday for more than 60 indigenous women and girls, the AP reported. No winner was crowned but an organizer said the show was about dispelling stereotypes.

“Modeling agencies are totally uninterested in hiring an indigenous woman, but they have no problem in getting a white girl and dressing her up in traditional indigenous clothes,” Tainara da Silva, who is from the Terena community in Brazil, told the AP. “That really bugged me, and I thought, ‘We need to show them that we are beautiful, too.’”

The games run through Sunday.

Get the Story:
Brazil ‘beauty parade’ celebrates indigenous women (AP 10/28)
Cultural sharing trumps sports at World Indigenous Games (AP 10/27)
World Indigenous Games get off to colorful, if rocky, start (AP 10/24)

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