Celebrating Native American Heritage Month: Meet Nialisa Longhorn

Nialisa Longhorn, 14, is a member of the Absentee Shawnee, Northern Arapaho, and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes. She currently rows with Riversport OKC in Oklahoma City, Okla.

What is the most meaningful aspect of rowing to you?

The most meaningful aspect of rowing is that it helps me stay healthy, while also teaching me life lessons in a way that I can enjoy without being too stressed or worried.

How do your cultural values align/not align with rowing values?

My cultural values align with rowing because it teaches me lessons and shows me how to grow as a person and an athlete. My cultural values can shine through the art of rowing.

How do you feel when you leave your home culture and enter a new culture like rowing?

When I leave my home culture to go to a totally different place, I always try to make the best of everything. At rowing practice or rowing events, I am just me, and I am there for my abilities as an athlete, not as someone needed to diversify and make the team look good. And yes, me being me includes me being indigenous to this land, but it also includes everything else, like my athletic abilities.

What do you wish people in your boathouse knew about you or your culture?

Something that I wish my teammates and coaches knew more about my Indigenous culture is that I am native. I take pride in who I am. I am grateful to be here and to be native. I make sure that my culture isn't being disrespected or appropriated. I want them to know that I want to be respected just like everyone else on the team, no matter my background, age, gender, or anything else. I have just as much right to be here as anyone.

The theme for Native American Heritage Month 2023 is celebrating tribal sovereignty and Identity. How would you encourage the rowing community to become involved in continuous celebrations of Native American culture and the waters they row on?

For the rowing community to be more involved in the continuous celebrations of my Native American culture, I would want everyone to be more respectful. Land acknowledgments have been issued to the land on which events and areas take part. This would be respectful to the land and water that any rowing takes place on. Making a land acknowledgment would show that you're showing your gratitude and appreciation for the land provided by The Creator and shows that we, as indigenous people, have been here and are still here to receive that respect.

What is the next goal for your rowing career?

My next significant goal in rowing is the biggest one since I started: to row in college and possibly make it to the Olympics! I don't think I could give up on that dream. I want to do it for my family, my people, and myself, and most importantly, the people who have been supporting my rowing journey since day one – the friends I've made.

Browse the official USRowing Native American Heritage Month Resource Guide.