The Snow Snake Games were played in the winter, after the men returned
from the annual hunt. These were huge games. Village played village. People
shouted for their team. It was an exciting game of skill to the Iroquois
people, and a team sport.
Before the games, each player carved their own "snake", which was a
flattened piece of wood or a carved wood scrap, depending upon the age of
the players and the competition level. One end was curved up a little, and
the other end was notched to make it easy to throw.
When two teams met, they dragged a log through the snow to form a path
or a trough. The object of the game was to throw your "snake" along the trough
at a really fast speed. Teams alternated tosses. The distance that your snake
traveled was added to your team score. Whichever side had the longest total
distance or the best score was the winner.