A student tries the high-kick game. Eric DeVries, a junior, is standing nearby.
Reindeer games showcase ancient celebrations
Nov 30, 2012
Students in an Honors College seminar course demonstrated
old-fashioned reindeer games for the campus and community November 30
near the Cook Carillon Tower.
With reindeer from G&G Reindeer Farm in Caledonia nearby,
Eric DeVries tried to entice participants to join his high-kick game,
in which participants try to kick a block of wood that is suspended
several feet above ground. DeVries said the game was created by Inuit
people who lived in the Arctic region of Canada.
“Their games had more meaning than just winning or losing,” said
DeVries. “They did this to celebrate a seal hunt or whale hunt.”
Other classmates presented Inuit and Saami (Scandinavia) games
like lassoing reindeer antlers, blanket tossing and caribou jumping.
They are enrolled in John Kilbourne’s seminar, “In Search of the
Meaning of Games in Life: A Journey to the Circumpolar World.”
The reindeer games were supported by the Frederik Meijer Honors
College, Padnos International Center, Student Services, and
President’s Office.
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