Guests enjoyed making traditional cornhusk dolls, listening to Seneca storytellers, and meeting the snowy-white sled dogs
Victor, NY: The Ganondagan State Historic Site, a national historic Native American/Seneca landmark located in the town of Victor, New York, hosted its annual Native American Winter Games on February 17th.
The Ganondagan (ga-NON-da-gan) historic site, which stands on the original site of a 17th-century Seneca town and boasts a full-sized Seneca Bark Longhouse and a 17,300 square-foot art and culture center, served as a teaching tool for participants.
During the winter, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), which consisted of the Oneida, Mohawk, Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca, and later the Tuscarora tribes, actively participated in plenty of activities, as the Ganondagan’s winter games showcased. Today, players still travel between communities to compete. There are prizes, but bragging rights seem to be the most esteemed.
Though the weather did not permit some of the events, such as dog sledding, many participants loved meeting the sled dogs who provided ample face-licks and opportunities for photos.
Two of the more popular events were the snowsnakes and deer button games.
In the “Snowsnake” game, participants throw long sticks fashioned from wood along a waist-high snow mound. At the top of the mound is a track, a long line created by dragging a log down the middle of the long snow mound that travels the concourse of the earth. According to Snooky Brooks, Seneca, “Some tracks go for more than a mile.”
These “snowsnakes,” slim arrow-like pieces of wood, are treated with various natural materials to make them travel farther in the snow. What materials make them travel farther? That is a secret that Snooky Brooks wouldn’t divulge.
People at the event also loved the deer button game. In the game, players throw pieces of two-sided deer antlers in order to gain points. If a player wins a round with the highest score, they take a piece of corn from the opposing player. After several turns, the player with the most corn wins.
In addition to the sports demonstrations, guests enjoyed making traditional cornhusk dolls, listening to Seneca storytellers, and watching hands-on demonstrations such as how corn was cleaned using a deer bone.
Angelina Hilton, Sac and Fox Nation, who came with her husband and two children, said, “It’s an opportunity to learn and spend time with family and connect with other Indigenous people.”
Ganondagan hosts events throughout the year. For more information, visit https://ganondagan.org/about-us.
Alex Hamer, a Oneida descendant, is a photojournalist in the Onondaga Homelands in Syracuse, NY. He has covered events at Standing Rock, Washington D.C.’s Climate March and the Women’s March. Alex has also covered local environmental issues in central New York and cultural and historical gatherings. Alex’s photographs have been shown at the Everson Museum, the Cayuga Museum of History, and the Fenimore Museum. When not photographing events or people, Alex enjoys spending time with his family and tending to his garden.
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