Alaska News

Video: Native Youth Olympics demonstration at Elders and Youth

In this video, Tlingit and Athabascan Kyle Demientieff-Worl demonstrates three different events in the Native Youth Olympics.

The first is the kneel jump, which is important in Alaska Native culture because it measures a hunter's ability to get up quickly if danger approaches when he is butchering a kill in the field.

Second is the seal hop or knuckle hop, in which the contestant mimics the movements of a seal on the ice increasing the likelihood that a hunter can sneak up on seals for the kill.

The third demonstration is the two-foot high kick. The traditional significance of this event is long-distance communication. Following a whale kill, one of the crew would run back in sight of the village and perform the kick to signal that the hunt was a success.

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