Native American Influence in Swimming

Did you know that swimming as we know it today is greatly influenced by the Native American populations that lived throughout North America before the European Expansion? When Europeans arrived in North America, the majority (including the sailors themselves!) didn't know how to swim. The Native populations, having grown up along lakes and rivers in certain areas, knew how to swim extremely well. They used this skill not only to harvest things like oysters and scallops, but also to hunt fish, and even as a form of hydrotherapy. Native Americans introduced a variation of the front crawl as we know it to the European population on a larger scale in 1844 when two Ojibwe people participated in a race in London. While the European competitors swam a version of breaststroke, Flying Gull swam a front crawl and won the race by far, swimming 130 feet (43.3 yards) in just 30 seconds, helping to influence the sport on a global scale!