Bode’wadmi Gon Genebek; 5th Annual Gun Lake Snowsnake Games
The Jijak Foundation, a cultural entity of the Gun Lake Band of Pottawatomi Indians, is pleased to invite you to attend the 5th Annual Gun Lake Snowsnake Games, Saturday, February 13th at Jijak, just south of Hopkins, Michigan.
The game of snowsnake is a traditional Anishinabe winter sport. The snowsnake gaming piece is a carved polished wooden pole that is slid down a track or trench built in the snow. Snowsnakes can vary from two to seven feet long and are approximately an inch in diameter. They are carved from a variety of hardwoods and treated with special waxes and oils.
The tournament track starting point consists of a three foot high ramp of hard packed snow. The track itself is a shallow iced trough which gradually declines until it is at ground level. The object of the game is for your snowsnake to travel further down the track than your competitors’ snowsnakes. Snowsnake throws have been recorded as traveling more than a mile in less than three minutes and peaking at speeds clocked by Sports Illustrated as reaching 108 miles per hour in the first mile.
Read more about the Game of Snowsnake: http://www.jijak.org/online-learning-center/
The event is open to anyone interested in trying their hand at the sport or just stopping by to enjoy the competition. Age categories for the competition range from children to elders. Loaner equipment will be available for newcomers. There will be hot chocolate for all as well as ongoing sledding for kids of all ages throughout the day. Vendor tables will also be available in the activity building for artists and crafts people to display and sell their work.
For more information please contact:
Kevin Finney, 616-644-3822
