Sports
Q&A with DII basketball standout Alejandro Rama – NCAA.org
Media Center Corbin McGuire
For Alejandro Rama, college sports offer an opportunity to inspire Native American youth and give back to the reservation on which he grew up.
A fifth-year basketball player at South Dakota Mines, Rama was raised on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and is a member of the Oglala Lakota Tribe. Rama regularly returns to his reservation, including holding multiple youth basketball camps, to stay connected to his culture.
Rama, whose Lakota name, Wakinyan Aú, means “brings thunder,” said his passion for his culture was in part sparked by his father. While his father is not of Native American descent, Rama said his father taught himself the Native language and started an immersion school on the reservation.
“Growing up, he was really big on allowing us to have that connection with our culture,” said Rama, who is averaging 19 points and six rebounds a game for the Hardrockers this season. “I’m really proud to be Native American, and I think that other Natives out there should be extremely proud of that, too, because there’s so much power in it.”
As the NCAA and its members celebrate Native American Heritage Month in November, Rama shared what his heritage means to him, how he continues to connect to it and how college basketball is a vehicle for him to give back.
What does your identity as an Indigenous student-athlete mean to you?
For me, it’s just empowering. I go to a school where it’s a lot different for me. I kind of had a culture shock when I first got to college just because it’s so different. I don’t have a lot of kids that are like me. They don’t understand my background or where I’m from. It was the first time that I’ve ever had that. As I’ve started to embrace like who I was and where I came from, it just became more empowering to me because I’ve been there, and I see a lot of the things that those kids (on the reservation) need. So I try to be that person to kind of show them it’s possible to get to college.
What can schools, coaches and administrators do to create an inclusive environment for Native American student-athletes?
At South Dakota School of Mines, they’ve always been really inclusive. Knowing that I was from the local reservation, they’ve always been really inclusive of the things that I do. So even when I decide to pray, I pray in my own way, and they’re all very respectful for that and give me the space to do that. So I feel like that’s really the biggest thing is just allowing people to feel comfortable enough to share that part of them. South Dakota Mines has for sure given me that space.
How do you celebrate your culture and heritage both during and beyond Native American Heritage Month?
It wouldn’t even be to celebrate it. I feel like to connect would be a better way to say it. And not even really specifically during this month, but the times that I need it in my life or throughout the year, I feel the way that I connect is by smudging (a Native American ceremony). That’s a simple way for me to kind of feel connected with my culture because it’s a big part of our culture — smudging and purifying yourself and your energy. Just the smell of that kind of takes me back to home, being around my culture and my people. So it gives me really that comfortability. That’s one thing that I do. Another thing that I do is just being around the reservation is I try to go home. Not many students have that chance, but I’m an hour and a half away from home, so being able to make that that little trip to go see family and possibly participate in a sweat ceremony, that’s always a good opportunity that I love to do.
Why is language important within Indigenous communities?
For my culture, my people, at least, language is extremely important. It’s part of our identity. It’s not just the words. A lot of our language has additional meanings or beliefs behind it. We have certain words meaning a certain thing, such as the word for horse is “šunka wakan,” which means “like mysterious dog.” So although the translations aren’t the same, there’s a story behind it, and it all comes together. You can’t have the culture without the language, so having the two and making sure that our language is being revitalized and is in a healthy state, I think, helps us even be more connected with our culture.
Why is it important to talk about land a specific way?
I think it’s complicated, for sure. But I think why it’s so important to us is because it’s a big part of our history. Specifically for my people, a lot of these places are sacred sites historically to our ancestors. I think that’s one of the biggest things is that when it comes to land being sacred — and that’s a big belief amongst all Native Americans, that land is sacred, Mother Earth is our provider — so when we’ve had these sacred sites or spiritual places for these extended periods of times and now we aren’t able to access them as we were once able to, it makes it hard for us to connect back with who we are. Land is a big part of it is because it’s also part of who we are.
What does it mean to be a college athlete representing your community?
It’s a way for me to be a warrior and kind of connect with my ancestors in that way. The Oglala Lakota and my people were some of the fiercest warriors in history. We defeated the U.S. Army and have done really incredible things. Today I’m not able to go to war like that … but the basketball court is kind of how I am able to represent my people, represent my family, represent myself in a similar way that you know warriors were able to do back in the day. That’s where it really gives me a lot of strength. I call it a warrior mindset.
How do you try to be a role model for Native American youth?
It’s really important for me because I was in their shoes. I struggled in a lot of the ways that they did, too. Being on the reservation is hard, and it’s different. But making it to another level is possible through hard work, and that’s kind of what I’ve tried to showcase throughout my career is that hard work pays off and no matter what. Whatever your situation is, you can still push through, overcome your adversities and make your family proud.
How do you feel like you’ve grown through college athletics?
Through college sports I’ve for sure grown athletically. But just the environment as a whole has really forced me to grow. I’ve had eligibility problems, so overcoming those in order to allow me to stay on the basketball court, it’s forced me to step up as a student. I’ve just become a more well-rounded person. It’s kind of exposed my weaknesses and allowed me to grow. It’s given me challenges to grow through.
What are some of your career goals beyond college?
I plan to play professionally. That’s the goal. The hope is to play professionally for a few years, see what kind of career I can make doing that, and that’ll just be another way that I could prove that it’s possible to the Native American youth out there. After that, I hope to use my business management degree to help improve the economy on my reservation and create more jobs there.
What is your message to Native American youth?
What I would say to all Native American youth is be proud of who you are. There’s so much strength in being yourself, so embrace that fully as you move forward in your life, and carrying that with you, I think, is important. Through hard work and belief in yourself, you can definitely reach your dreams.
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