Alaska’s Indigenous teens emulate ancestors’ Arctic survival skills at the Native Youth Olympics

By MARK THIESSEN
Associated Press

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Native Youth Olympics in Anchorage, Alaska, is a three-day celebration of Indigenous culture in the form of games that mimic hunting and survival techniques that Alaska Natives in the Arctic region have relied on for thousands of years. The games are essentially the state competition for students competing in events like the scissor broad jump, which emulates jumping from one ice floe in the water to the next, and the Indian stick pull, a game of strength resembling what it feels like to pull a seal from the ocean. The games are intended to help preserve Alaska Native culture and teach young people how difficult life used to be.