It is common to see Native peoples participating in popular sports like basketball, soccer, or hockey, but many people do not know that in Native cultures there are athletic events all our own.
Each summer, the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics (WEIO) kicks off in Fairbanks, Alaska. WEIO is an annual Olympic event for Native peoples to compete in their traditional athletic events like the four-man carry, ear pull, and the blanket toss<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nbwm/2867236287/">the blanket toss</a> or Nalukataq. It is a four-day event filled with intense competition, dancing, and storytelling. Each game has once served a purpose in the historical lives of the Native peoples. or Nalukataq. It is a four-day event filled with intense competition, dancing, and storytelling. Each game has once served a purpose in the historical lives of the Native peoples. the blanket toss or Nalukataq. It is a four-day event filled with intense competition, dancing, and storytelling. Each game has once served a purpose in the historical lives of the Native peoples.
The blanket toss is my personal favorite of the games. It originated in the whaling communities. Nalukataq was used as a way to spot live game by launching someone 30-feet in the air using a blanket made of whale skin (much like a trampoline) so that the hunters were able to spot the game over the horizon. Today in some places, it is still used in its traditional sense; however, in the WEIO games it a competition that is judged based on height and style.