What does Akapamata mean?
The late, great Olympic gold medalist Jim Thorpe went by many names in his life — Jim, Wa-Tho-Huk, Bright Path, and the nickname Akapamata.
Akapamata means “Caregiver” in the language of Jim’s tribe, Sac & Fox, and this nickname was given to him after many years of working tirelessly to create and provide employment opportunities and other support to Native people in the US. When you Google “Akapamata,” in fact, the first thing that comes up in results is a story about Thorpe.
To honor his own Akapamata legacy, we’ve created a platform to give others the opportunity to be “caregivers,” too.
Learn more from this story by “Thorpeologist” Robert Wheeler in American Indian Magazine: http://2bps.us/thorpe
