"Montana athletes arrived at the North American Indigenous Games as the smallest U.S. team to compete, with only 14 members.

�There's not going to be much of us,� said Tuff Harris, a Crow and Northern Cheyenne. �So we might as well represent.�

As of Thursday, Tuff and his brother, Jay Harris, had already won five medals - three gold, a silver and a bronze - with one day of competition still ahead at the games in Denver. Both competed in the over-20 age bracket.

�These guys come from a long line of chiefs, Spotted Horse and Yellow Tail,� said Alexander Bird In Ground, a Crow who watched the Harris boys both place first in their 100-meter heats. �These families are all runners and great athletes.�

The North American Indigenous Games attracted 7,400 athletes from across the United States and Canada for five days of fun and - quite often - fierce competition, as some of the finest and most dedicated athletes gathered from nearly 1,000 tribes."

Get the Story:
Jodi Rave: Small Montana delegation competes at Indigenous Games (The Missoulian 7/7)

Relevant Links:
Jodi Rave - http://www.missoulian.com/jodirave

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