• MSNBC/AP, Wednesday, September 26, 2007 11:15 AM

Nike has unveiled an athletic shoe called the Air Native N7 that is designed with a larger fit for the distinct foot shape of American Indians. Its design features several "heritage callouts"--as one product manager describes it--including sunrise-to-sunset-to-sunrise patterns on the tongue and heel of the shoe. Feather designs adorn the inside and stars are on the sole to represent the night sky.

Tribal wellness programs and tribal schools nationwide will be able to purchase the shoe at wholesale price and then pass it along to individuals, often at no cost. Nike says all profits from the sale of the shoe will be reinvested in health programs for tribal lands.

The N7 name is a reference to the seventh-generation theory, used by some tribes to look to the three generations preceding them for wisdom and the three generations ahead for their legacy. The shoe "reinforces the core of the Nike brand, which is: If you have a body, you are an athlete," says Paul Swangard, managing director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon.

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