Home » Travel » Canadian Tourism » NATIVE SNOWSNAKE TOURNAMENT AND MUSEUM

NATIVE SNOWSNAKE TOURNAMENT AND MUSEUM

© Mary M. Alward

On February 6, my grandsons, Brandon and Jordan, came to spend the day. Brandon kept insisting he wanted to go to the park, so instead, we bundled them up and put them into the car. Our destination was the annual Snowsnake Tournament at the Woodland Cultural Centre, which is located on Mohawk Street in Brantford. http://www.woodland-centre.on.ca/ When we arrived, we could see that the tournament had already begun. We parked, helped the boys out of the car and proceeded to the Snowsnake Track.

A Snowsnake track is made of snow that is piled about two feet high. It is hollowed out in the center, smoothed and left overnight. Sometimes it freezes and sometimes it doesn't. The game is played using all different types of snow. The Snowsnakes run along the hollowed out portion of the track after the men throw them.

Snowsnakes are made of long shafts of wood, which are about a half-inch in diameter. They have pointed heads that are encased in metal. Different types of points are used for different types of snow and ice. The boys seemed to be quite interested in seeing the men throw the Snowsnakes. We watched the tournament for some time. Jordan lost interest fairly quickly but I had expected this as he is only two but the activities captured Brandon's attention for some time. Soon, the men moved on to a different track and the boys spent some time playing in the snow. Shortly after the competitors had moved, we decided to take the boys to the Native Museum, which is located on the north side of the grounds. As we walked to the car, I noticed an apple tree with a crotch in it that was the perfect size for a small boy to sit in. I sat Jordan in the tree, asked Brandon to stand beside him and snapped their picture. The boys thought this was a grand adventure. http://www.woodland-centre.on.ca/museumm...

When we arrived at the museum, we walked into the main lobby where we received a warm welcome. In the first room, vendors had tables set up with Native handicrafts on display. Both boys found the jewelry, dream catchers and beadwork interesting but the table that really caught their attention was where a lady sold wooden clocks and plaques with cut-outs of wolves, bear, deer and fish. The woman told Brandon that she made the clocks herself. He was full of questions and the kind woman answered all of them.

The copyright of the article NATIVE SNOWSNAKE TOURNAMENT AND MUSEUM in Canadian Tourism is owned by Mary M. Alward. Permission to republish NATIVE SNOWSNAKE TOURNAMENT AND MUSEUM in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.