The traditional Native American snow snake game challenges players to launch handmade wooden "snakes" down a snow track to see whose can travel the furthest.
“As it goes down the length of the track, it gives you the impression of a snake wiggling through the snow.”
Ron Yob, chairman of the Grand River Bands, played the game as a child and notes the event is a way for the tribe to share its unique heritage.
“You wouldn't have a snow snake contest in Arizona or Florida.And it's something that's been done here for hundreds of years and it continues. It’s a way to be active in the outdoors in the wintertime.
Saturday’s competition is open to all ages with prizes. The competitor’s snake traveling the longest distance receives the $500 grand prize.
Entry is free, but all competitors must craft their own wooden snow snake. Yob says it showcases Native knowledge of physics and engineering.
“It's not just a stick in the woods anymore, like it was in my youth. They all got their little secrets on length or the weight of them, or they weight the head sometimes, or they smooth them down, put wax on them.”
The competition typically draws members from over a dozen different tribes, making it both an educational cultural experience and a high-level contest.
The Great Lakes Snow Snake Competition at World of Winter is Saturday, February 22 with registration at 11a.m. at the Sixth Street Park in Grand Rapids.
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