The Snow Snake Game is played in the winter time, and nowadays its played usually during winter carnival or part of a school curriculum. It’s still just as competitive, and popular among the young ones. Historically, it was after the men returned from the annual hunt. These were huge games. Village played village. People shouted for their team. It was an exciting game of skill to the Iroquois people, and a team sport.
Before the games, each player carved their own “snake”, which was a flattened piece of wood or a carved wood scrap, depending upon the age of the players and the competition level. One end was curved up a little, and the other end was notched to make it easy to throw.
When two teams met, they dragged a log through the snow to form a path or a trough. Then the track gradually slopes downward to follow the contour of the earth. The object of the game was to throw your “snake” along the trough at a really fast speed. Teams alternated tosses. The distance that your snake traveled was added to your team score. Whichever side had the longest total distance or the best score was the winner.
The best throwers win prizes but more importantly, bragging rights until the next event.
By: Akwesasne TV Staff
