Richard Froese
South Peace News
Kinuso School was crowned double champions at the seventh annual High Prairie School Division Pakisiwin (Hand Games) Tournament April 15 at Kinuso.
History was made as Kinuso won both the elementary and the junior/senior high divisions, accomplished for the first time in the event’s history, says an April 16 HPSD news release.
Joussard School finished second in the elementary division and Roland Michener Secondary School in Slave Lake finished second in the junior/senior high division.
Teams from 10 schools from across the division brought their energy, teamwork and traditional knowledge to the floor for a full day of of exciting match-ups rooted in Dene tradition.
Both winning teams earned their place at the Regional Youth Hand Games Tournament on May 3 in the Gordon Buchanan Recreation Centre during the High Prairie Traditional Pow Wow.
The tournament was made possible through collaboration of school staff, coaches, drummers Herman Sutherland and Russell Cardinal and the HPSD Indigenous education team.
Hand games is a traditional Dene game of strategy and intuition, played at a rapid pace and often accompanied by lively drumming and singing.
Over the past two months, student teams trained intensively under the guidance of Sutherland, whose teachings continue to preserve and pass down the cultural knowledge of this ancestral sport.
Students showed not only technical skill but also mentorship and growth – many senior players now helping younger students hone their own skills.
