How Indigenous Sports Keep Culture Alive?

Last Updated:February 19, 2026, 22:44 IST

Indigenous sports are one of the most powerful carriers of cultural memory. They encode values, social structures & ways of life that communities have safeguarded for generations.

In many parts of the world, culture is not only remembered through monuments, language, or rituals – it is lived, breathed, and passed on through experiencing it. Indigenous sports are one of the most powerful, yet often overlooked, carriers of cultural memory. They encode values, social structures, spiritual beliefs, and ways of life that communities have safeguarded for generations. At a time when globalised, commercially supported sport dominates screens and stadiums, these traditional games quietly continue to do something extraordinary: keep culture alive and inculcating values that only the sports fields offer. While the globally better-known sports have encouraged wider participation and aspiration – and an awareness about fitness, the indigenous, culturally rooted disciplines are equally important as they carry generations of identity and heritage.

Games Shaped by Land, Life and Legacy

Indigenous sports are deeply rooted in the landscapes and histories of the communities that created them. They are born of need, and shaped by local geography, climate, and daily life – whether it is wrestling forms that evolved on the basis of agricultural strength, martial arts born out of self-defense traditions, or balance-based games that mirror harmony with nature. In India alone, the diversity is staggering: Mallakhamb with its origins in ancient physical training, Kalaripayattu from Kerala blending combat with healing traditions, the Bamboo Walk in Meghalaya addressing mobility through infested forests and rivers without bridges, KhoKho emerging from rural teamwork and agility, and Apukhu Kiti from Nagaland, a martial practice that emphasizes discipline, balance, and identity.

What sets these sports apart is that they are never just about competition. They are about community participation, collective learning, and intergenerational transfer of knowledge. Elders are often custodians of technique and philosophy, while children learn not only how to play, but also the lessons and legacy intrinsically woven within. Through this process, values such as respect, resilience, cooperation, and fairness are reinforced organically – outside of classrooms or textbooks, and very effectively too.

Reclaiming Identity Through Play

Globally, researchers and cultural historians have noted how indigenous games function as living archives. In many Indigenous communities in Canada, Australia, Africa, and parts of Asia, traditional sports have played a role in reclaiming identity after periods of cultural erosion. Games that were once pushed to the margins are now being revived as symbols of pride, belonging, and self-representation, especially for young people navigating modern identities. When youth engage in these sports, they are not merely training their bodies; they are reconnecting with narratives that affirm who they are and where they come from.

India’s Quiet Revival of Traditional Games

In India, the need for such reconnection is gathering force. Rapid urbanisation, shrinking play spaces, and the dominance of a few mainstream sports seem to take away from many indigenous games which were at risk of fading away. Yet, there is an inspiring, albeit quiet, resurgence underway. Schools, community groups, and sports practitioners are increasingly recognising that indigenous

sports can offer more inclusive pathways into physical activity – especially for children who may not have access to expensive infrastructure or elite coaching systems. From a development perspective, indigenous sports also democratise sport, gender, and in many cases age too. They require minimal equipment, rely on natural or locally available resources, and are inclusive. This makes them powerful tools for social inclusion, rural engagement, and grassroots participation. Importantly, they allow communities to tell their own stories, rather than having external narratives imposed on them that feel alien.

Over the years, Usha International has engaged with several such traditions as a facilitator focused on continuity. Through initiatives such as Usha Play and collaborations with local practitioners, the organisation has supported the creation of platforms that bring indigenous sports into wider public consciousness while preserving their authenticity. From drawing attention to Mallakhamb practitioners within their established arenas, to highlighting martial traditions from the Northeast such as Apukhu Kiti, and encouraging dialogue around lesser-known regional games, the approach has remained consistent – amplifying the current landscape and allowing the sport and its cultural significance to command the awareness and respect they rightfully deserve.

These efforts have reinforced an important learning – preservation cannot mean fossilisation. Indigenous sports must be allowed to evolve while staying true to their core ethos. This might mean adapting formats for urban audiences, documenting oral histories through digital media, or integrating traditional games into school curricula in ways that resonate with today’s learners. The goal is not to make them “mainstream" in the conventional sense, but to make them sustainable and relevant, and grow awareness about them across the world.

The Future of Sport Is Also Cultural

Looking ahead, the future of indigenous sports will depend on collaboration. In a world increasingly obsessed with speed, scale, and spectacle, indigenous sports remind us of something fundamental: sport is, at its heart, a cultural expression. It reflects how societies move, celebrate, prepare for conflict, and come together. By keeping these games alive, we are not just preserving physical practices – we are safeguarding historical narratives, identities, and ways of being that deserve to endure.

The question, then, is not whether indigenous sports belong in the future of sport and culture. It is whether we are willing to listen, learn, and make room for them to continue shaping who we are.

(The writer Komal Mehra is Head of Sports Initiatives and Associations at Usha International)

Read More