Race of the Snow Snakes

19728 min 23 secFilm: Documentary

Produced for the NFB by AKO Productions Limited for the Canadian Department of Indian and Northern Affairs.

This title is an acquisition.

An ancient game of the Haudenosaunee, demonstrated by Al Porter of the Six Nations Indian Reserve near Brantford, Ontario. The snow snakes are sleek, metal-tipped wooden rods about six feet long, and are raced in competition down snow furrow courses of up to 1.6 km. Thrown with dexterity they can reach speeds of over 100 km/h. The film shows the skill and handiwork that goes into their making.

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Le Serpent des neiges

Subject categories

  • Sports and Leisure - Winter Sports > CompetitionsWinter Games
  • Indigenous Peoples in Canada (First Nations and Métis) > CraftsQuébec and Ontario
  • Crafts > First Nations Crafts