The reason some Gwich鈥檌n people do not play hand games today is because of the destruction of their culture in the past, says Fort McPherson elder Charlie Snowshoe.
He was responding to an editorial in the Inuvik Drum questioning the practice鈥檚 history and attitudes toward it in different communities.
鈥淚n the olden days, way back in the 1700s, the Gwich鈥檌n people had their ways of traditional games, they had their own beliefs, which is what they used before the missionaries came in,鈥� said Snowshoe.
Snowshoe says that when the missionaries came, the Gwich鈥檌n people were told that their beliefs were not right.
His mother-in-law passed a story on to him of the missionaries asking the people to pile up items representative of their beliefs and ways of life.
鈥淲hat they did is they got whatever they got, (and) they burned everything,鈥� said Snowshoe. 鈥淭he only thing they couldn鈥檛 burn was a drum song.鈥�
That鈥檚 what happened to his people in Fort McPherson, Dawson, Old Crow and Fort Yukon, he said.
鈥淒awson, they got (their culture) back,鈥� he said. 鈥淔ort Yukon got it back. Old Crow and McPherson, they have nothing, absolutely nothing.鈥�
Responding to the editorial, Snowshoe said, 鈥淵ou鈥檙e asking the question how come we don鈥檛 have hand games? We got absolutely nothing on our side.鈥�
There are old time dances, he said, but those are modern dances.
鈥淭he elders were so brainwashed into their religion they don鈥檛 want to talk about anything that our people used to believe in,鈥� said Snowshoe.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a fact. Very few people might say this is what we used to do at one time, this is what we believe in. Maybe 10 per cent of our people talk about the traditional knowledge, but concerning the religion part of it, they鈥檙e pretty well brainwashed.鈥�
He said it鈥檚 not that some Gwich鈥檌n don鈥檛 like handgames, but that they鈥檝e never had it. He believes most people would enjoy them if exposed to the games.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not that they don鈥檛 like it. It鈥檚 that they don鈥檛 know too much about it,鈥� he said.
The Inuvialuit still have their drum dance, he said.
鈥淲hat do you see form our side, the Gwich鈥檌n people? Fort McPherson, Inuvik, Aklavik, Old Crow, nothing.鈥�
Snowshoe relayed a story about a Gwich鈥檌n gathering in Old Crow two years ago, saying some young children started dancing to a drum dance but were told by an adult not to go up and dance anymore.
鈥淚 just happened to see that and the chief was sat beside me,鈥� said Snowshoe. 鈥淭he way I look at it, it鈥檚 in their blood, and the chief made a sign to them (to) go, and they all went back and really enjoyed themselves.鈥�
He said it鈥檚 a shame about how many elders are gone, but he wants young people to understand what really happened and why cultures in different regions vary.
