Snow snake facts for kids
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Quick facts for kids Characteristics |
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|---|---|
| Contact | No |
| Type | Outdoor, winter |
| Presence | |
| Country or region | Great Lakes region of North America |
Snow snake is a fun winter sport from North America. Many Native American tribes in the Great Lakes region have played it for a long time. These tribes include the Ojibwe, Sioux, Wyandotte, Oneida, and other Haudenosaunee people.
How to Play Snow Snake
A game of snow snake involves four teams. These teams are often called "corners." The goal is to throw a wooden "snow snake" as far as possible. Players throw the snakes along a special track made of snow.
The game is played in rounds. In each round, every team gets to throw their snow snakes four times. After all throws, points are given out. The team with the farthest throw gets two points. The team with the second farthest throw gets one point. The game continues until one team reaches a set number of points, usually 7 or 11.
Team Roles
Each snow snake team has two important roles: the Player and the Goaler.
- A Goaler is like the team's equipment manager. They make sure the wooden snow snakes are in good shape. They also choose which snake the Player will use for each throw.
- A Player is the person who actually throws the snow snake during the game.
Equipment for Snow Snake
The poles used in this game are all called "snow snakes," but they come in different sizes.
- The smallest ones are called "snow darts." They are about six inches long.
- The next size up is the "short snake," or "mud cat," which is about three feet long.
- The longest poles are simply called "snow snakes." These can be anywhere from six to ten feet long!
Snow snakes can be made from different materials. The Sioux tribe traditionally made them from bone. They would add feathers for decoration. Other tribes used strong woods from North America. These included maple, oak, apple, hickory, and juneberry. Today, players might use other strong woods like ebony. Many players like to decorate their snow snakes with colorful designs. Some even wax the wood to help them slide better.
The snow track is like a long, narrow ditch. It's usually about five inches deep. At the starting end, where players stand, the track slopes upward slightly. Sometimes, people add fun obstacles to the tracks. These can include jumps or snow barriers to make the game more exciting.
History of Snow Snake
The Iroquois people have stories that say the game of snow snake is very old. It started more than 500 years ago, even before Europeans arrived in North America.
At first, these snow snakes were used for sending messages between villages. People would slide them along the long snow tracks to communicate. Over time, during long winters, this way of communicating turned into a fun, competitive sport. The name "snow snake" comes from how the poles wiggle and slide like a snake on the icy track.
