The snowsnake game, involving the sliding of hardwood “snakes” down a shoveled out “lane” upon lake ice, has not been actively played in Lac du Flambeau for more than 150 years. (Photo courtesy Tim Frandy)
A group of graduate students from the College of Letters & Science's Department of Comparative Literature and Folklore traveled north to the Lac du Flambeau Reservation last month to volunteer at the second annual Ojibweg Bibooni Ataadiwin (Ojibwe Winter Games).
The Winter Games — held Feb. 18-23 — are a revitalization effort of traditional Ojibwe wintertime competitive games and activities, including the hoop and spear game, atlatl throwing, snowshoe racing, archery, and a snowsnake game. The snowsnake game, involving the sliding of hardwood “snakes” down a shoveled out “lane” upon lake ice, has not been actively played in Lac du Flambeau for more than 150 years.
Each day also included a traditional Native lunch, featuring venison stew, wild rice soup, and fry bread.
“By volunteering in tribal-initiated programs,” volunteer Tim Frandy notes, “we hope to create the groundwork for longstanding collaborations between Wisconsin’s Native communities and the UW.”
School children between grades four to eight were bussed to Camp Nawakwa from Lac du Flambeau Elementary School. Several other area schools also participated for one day of the weeklong competition.
Wayne Valliere, the organizer of the Winter Games, hopes that in the future, these children will pass along these traditional games to their own children.
To see more images from the Winter Games, view our slideshow (images courtesy Tim Frandy):