The native Canadian game of Snowsnake is as old as winter. The "snake' is a spar, up to two metres long and trimmed down to a few centimeters in diameter, with the front end wider and thicker than the handle and either curved upward or capped with a small ball. The idea of the game is to throw the snake so that it skims along the top of the snow. The further it goes, the better.
Perhaps the snowsnake was once part of a religious ceremony. The Plains Cree used to chant certain songs before they threw the snake, and "each player has his favourite set of four sticks which has been doctored by the medicine man", as one book puts it. "The medicine man always prescribes the exact medicine for the occasion depending on whether the snow is soft or frozen crisply." The "medicine" referred to is the type of varnish to be used on the spar.
More likely, though, Snowsnake began as a game to bring some fun into the bleak winter months. Today, it continues as a competitive event among native peoples, especially among eastern tribes. I have read reports of throws of over a mile (1.6 km) on prepared tracks.
Making the snake, according to historian Grant MacEwan, demands "the most meticulous attention". A shaft of hardwood - apparently hickory is the best - is carefully selected. It is planed and sanded, then moistened, scraped and sanded again. When the surface is smooth and true, the snake may be shellacked or varnished to make it waterproof, then sanded with extrafine wet or dry sandpaper. Of course, if you want to give the sport a try just for fun, you can use any reasonably straight, smooth spar or dowel, or even an old broomstick.
The head of the snake is carved to a rounded point, like a bullet, so that it will "skate" over the snow. The point may be fire-hardened to help prevent it from splitting. Some native contestants encase the point in lead or add an iron or copper point to improve the weight and balance of the snake.
You can throw the snake on smooth ice or on firm or crusty snow. It will go a surprising distance on level ground or a slight downslope, but it takes considerable practice to develop a good throw.
Some tribes use a short (60 cnn) skinny snake and an underhand throw. In Games of the Plains Cree the game is called Sosemanuk and the throw is described like this: "The (tail) of the stick is held between the thumb and forefinger and swung like a pendulum. it is then released underhand with a sweeping motion. "
Other tribes used a longer snake and threw it overhand like a javelin. When the troop was experimenting we found this method difficult. Yet third way of throwing requires a slender, light snake only 100-120 cm long. Here, you hook a finger on the end of the snake and flip it out with a swing of the arm and a flick of the wrist.
Try overhand, underhand, and side-arm to discover which method works best for a given Scout a given snake, and the existing terrain. Taking a run at it adds thrust but makes accuracy less certain. Remember that you are not throwing a spear (although the snake will bury its head in the snow often enough!). When you throw it correctly, the snake will skitter over small bumps and may even become airborne for a metre or two.
If you are really ambitions, your patrol can make a special track, filling in the low spots and shovelling down the bumps. Form a groove by dragging a narrow log along the track, then let the snow "set" as you would for a snowcave, or sprinkle water along it to ice it. Your track can be straight or gently zig-zagged for a real challenge (in which case, you'll have tO use a shorter snake that can take the curves).
Straight grooved tracks are used in native competitions. A thrower may compete as an individual or as part of a team "The rule is four snakes per entry, " according to MacEwan, "either four persons making one throw each or two persons making two throws each..." for teams. Scoring can be based on the best of four throws or the average or total of the four throws.
Gliding Sticks are a snowsnake variation. The throwing sticks are hardwood about 60 cm long, whittled fiat on one side and bearing a design on the other. They are often launched (rather than thrown) on a prepared zig zag path down a hillside, but they can be thrown on an iced course.
You can play Snowsnake as a carefully planned event or an impromptu patrol challenge at a troop meeting, on a hike, or at camp.
"Hey mom, it was a great camp! Greyboard has this two metre long snow-snake and.... Mom?"
Greybeard is the Scouting name of T. Gray, Troop Scouter of the 1st Thorsby, Alta.
Native American winter games reached their highest levels of sophistication among the nations and tribes near the Great Lakes. The Seneca tribe of the Iroquois Nation called this game Gawasa. The snake is a smooth stick of wood, which is thrown over ice or hard-packed snow for distance.
by Steve Tobin