by Tricia Nuyaqik Brown and Joni Kitmiiq Spiess photographs by Roy Corral
University of Alaska Press, 2020 eISBN: 978-1-60223-419-2 | Paper: 978-1-60223-418-5 Library of Congress Classification E98.G2 Dewey Decimal Classification 979.00497
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
ABOUT THIS BOOK The athletes of the Alaska Native games aren’t just returning to their roots. They’ve never left them. In this beautifully illustrated book, readers learn the history of twenty-five Native games that have been handed down through generations, how each one relates to the subsistence lifestyle, and how you can try them yourself, regardless of where you live.
As Tricia Nuyaqik Brown shows, even though today’s competitions are a big media event in Alaska, the games themselves are really no different from those of long ago. Ancestral communities once pitted their strongest, their most agile, their fastest men and women against those from neighboring villages or tribal groups. Those games never died, but rather than gathering in a sod meeting place, competitions are now held in gyms and arenas. Each game today can be linked to some aspect of surviving in a harsh environment, of drawing sustenance from the land and sea. From the Seal Hop to the Bench Reach to the Four-Man Carry, these ancient games still require athletes to be in top physical condition and possess sharp mental focus. They hold dear the traditional Native values of honoring the elders, responsibility to tribe, sportsmanship, humor, patience, and hunter success. This book offers an engaging introduction to these games and their history, inviting people to jump in and try them for themselves!
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Tricia Nuyaqik Brown has been writing and editing publications about Alaska since the early 1980s. In 1998, she partnered with Roy Corral to write and photograph the now classic Children of the Midnight Sun, which received national critical acclaim for its profiles of Alaska Native children. Twenty years later, Brown and Corral flew throughout Alaska to produce Children of the First People, featuring a new cast of ten Alaska Native children, one from each tribal group. Tricia has written nearly two dozen nonfiction books for adults; another eight picture books for children may be found in schools, libraries, and personal collections. She works independently as an author, editor, and book developer for various publishers. Joni Kitmiiq Spiess is an Iñupiaq woman born in Nome, Alaska, who has been a traditional games competitor, coach, and encourager to many. After studies in Anchorage, Joni returned to Nome and taught physical education to elementary school children from 2005–2012. She also began demonstrating the Native games to her students and soon was coaching a team. Now in Anchorage, she’s involved in health education for young children through the Southcentral Foundation. Joni is married and the mother of two young boys. Roy Corral is a veteran photographer whose work has appeared in books, magazines, and websites nationally, among them Alaska, National Geographic, and Forbes. He has photo-illustrated children’s books since his first in 1995—My Denali and A Child’s Glacier Bay— written from his daughter’s perspective. Roy’s work to capture authentic Native life for readers included books for adults, such as Alaska Native Ways and Chugach: Reflections of the People, Land and Sea; and collaborating with Tricia Brown, he illustrated two books for middle-graders, titled Children of the Midnight Sun and Children of the First People.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Foreword: The Value of Playing Games, by Nick Iligutchiak Hanson
Introduction: Personal Best, by Tricia Nuyaqik Brown and Joni Kitmiiq Spiess
Part I // Ancient Games and Modern Muscle
Alaskan High Kick
Arm Pull
Drop the Bomb /Airplane
Ear Pull
Ear Weight
Eskimo Stick Pull
Four-Man Carry
Greased Pole Walk
Head Pull / Neck Pull
Indian Stick Pull
Kneel Jump
Knuckle Hop / Seal Hop
Nalukataq (Blanket Toss)
One-Foot High Kick
One-Hand Reach
Scissor Broad Jump
Toe Kick
Two-Foot High Kick
Wrist Carry
Part II // Just as Fierce, But Nearly Forgotten
Bench Reach
Caribou Wrestling / Musk Ox (or Moose!) Wrestling
Nose Pull
Old Ladies’ Game
Swing Kick
The Great Ones
Acknowledgments
More Information
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
by Tricia Nuyaqik Brown and Joni Kitmiiq Spiess photographs by Roy Corral
University of Alaska Press, 2020 eISBN: 978-1-60223-419-2 Paper: 978-1-60223-418-5
The athletes of the Alaska Native games aren’t just returning to their roots. They’ve never left them. In this beautifully illustrated book, readers learn the history of twenty-five Native games that have been handed down through generations, how each one relates to the subsistence lifestyle, and how you can try them yourself, regardless of where you live.
As Tricia Nuyaqik Brown shows, even though today’s competitions are a big media event in Alaska, the games themselves are really no different from those of long ago. Ancestral communities once pitted their strongest, their most agile, their fastest men and women against those from neighboring villages or tribal groups. Those games never died, but rather than gathering in a sod meeting place, competitions are now held in gyms and arenas. Each game today can be linked to some aspect of surviving in a harsh environment, of drawing sustenance from the land and sea. From the Seal Hop to the Bench Reach to the Four-Man Carry, these ancient games still require athletes to be in top physical condition and possess sharp mental focus. They hold dear the traditional Native values of honoring the elders, responsibility to tribe, sportsmanship, humor, patience, and hunter success. This book offers an engaging introduction to these games and their history, inviting people to jump in and try them for themselves!
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Tricia Nuyaqik Brown has been writing and editing publications about Alaska since the early 1980s. In 1998, she partnered with Roy Corral to write and photograph the now classic Children of the Midnight Sun, which received national critical acclaim for its profiles of Alaska Native children. Twenty years later, Brown and Corral flew throughout Alaska to produce Children of the First People, featuring a new cast of ten Alaska Native children, one from each tribal group. Tricia has written nearly two dozen nonfiction books for adults; another eight picture books for children may be found in schools, libraries, and personal collections. She works independently as an author, editor, and book developer for various publishers. Joni Kitmiiq Spiess is an Iñupiaq woman born in Nome, Alaska, who has been a traditional games competitor, coach, and encourager to many. After studies in Anchorage, Joni returned to Nome and taught physical education to elementary school children from 2005–2012. She also began demonstrating the Native games to her students and soon was coaching a team. Now in Anchorage, she’s involved in health education for young children through the Southcentral Foundation. Joni is married and the mother of two young boys. Roy Corral is a veteran photographer whose work has appeared in books, magazines, and websites nationally, among them Alaska, National Geographic, and Forbes. He has photo-illustrated children’s books since his first in 1995—My Denali and A Child’s Glacier Bay— written from his daughter’s perspective. Roy’s work to capture authentic Native life for readers included books for adults, such as Alaska Native Ways and Chugach: Reflections of the People, Land and Sea; and collaborating with Tricia Brown, he illustrated two books for middle-graders, titled Children of the Midnight Sun and Children of the First People.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Foreword: The Value of Playing Games, by Nick Iligutchiak Hanson
Introduction: Personal Best, by Tricia Nuyaqik Brown and Joni Kitmiiq Spiess
Part I // Ancient Games and Modern Muscle
Alaskan High Kick
Arm Pull
Drop the Bomb /Airplane
Ear Pull
Ear Weight
Eskimo Stick Pull
Four-Man Carry
Greased Pole Walk
Head Pull / Neck Pull
Indian Stick Pull
Kneel Jump
Knuckle Hop / Seal Hop
Nalukataq (Blanket Toss)
One-Foot High Kick
One-Hand Reach
Scissor Broad Jump
Toe Kick
Two-Foot High Kick
Wrist Carry
Part II // Just as Fierce, But Nearly Forgotten
Bench Reach
Caribou Wrestling / Musk Ox (or Moose!) Wrestling
Nose Pull
Old Ladies’ Game
Swing Kick
The Great Ones
Acknowledgments
More Information
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
It can take 2-3 weeks for requests to be filled.
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE