In September 2003, Lakota Sioux Richard Iron Cloud and Armando Black Bear, novice swimmers from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation near the Badlands of South Dakota, swam from Alcatraz Island to the San Francisco shore in the first PATHSTAR Alcatraz swim. PATHSTAR is a nonprofit organization committed to inspiring and revitalizing sustainable health and well-being practices within Native American communities.

That tradition continued on Oct. 19, 2015, when Native Americans made the crossing from the “Rock” to San Francisco to conclude this year’s annual PATHSTAR Alcatraz Swim Week. The eight-day event is a component of a year-round program to encourage healthy eating and a stay-active lifestyle among Native Americans who have the highest rates of Type 2 diabetes in the United States, according to the Indian Health Service (IHS).

Eloy Martinez, Southern Ute, a member of the band of Native Americans who occupied Alcatraz in November, 1969 and remained for 19 months before they were removed by federal authorities, offered a sage blessing and prayer for a safe swim.

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