World Eskimo Indian Olympics

The World Eskimo-Indian Olympics (or WEIO) is an annual event held over a four-day period in July or August, designed to preserve cultural practices and traditional survival skills essential to life in circumpolar areas of the world. The WEIO features games rooted in ancestral hunting and survival techniques employed by Native Americans, as well as dance and storytelling competitions.

History

In 1961, the WEIO (formerly World Eskimo Olympics), held its inaugural event held on the banks of the Chena River, Fairbanks, Alaska [ [http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/Curriculum/NativeGames/wei-olympics.html World Eskimo-Indian Olympics — a History] ] , as part of the Golden Days celebration festivities. The event was sponsored by the City of Fairbanks, through the city's Chamber of Commerce.

Sponsorship

In 1970, sponsorship of the event was transferred to Tundra Times (a statewide newspaper in Alaska), and several revisions were made. This includes the name change — which inserted "Indian" to better reflect the ethnicity of the participants — and the introduction of events for women. The first decade of the events featured male-only participants; eventually, the number of events which women competed increased [ [http://www.thewip.net/contributors/2007/07/malchoff_on_top_of_the_world_a.html Malchoff on Top of the World at the 2007 World Eskimo-Indian Olympics] ] . Women now participate in some of the more arduous events, including ear pulls and high kicks.

Six years later, the WEIO formed a 501(c) outfit which took over sponsorship from the newspaper, and has been responsible for plans, preparations, and stagings related to the event.

Relocation

After four and a half decades of hosting the WEIO in Fairbanks, the games were relocated to Anchorage, Alaska in 2007 following a successful bid [ [http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/071507/loc_20070715021.shtml Eskimo games to add $1 million to Anchorage's economy] ] to host the event. WEIO board members were concerned that Fairbanks officials were becoming complacent [ [http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Sports&article=UPI-1-20070715-15022500-bc-oly-eskimoindian.xml World Eskimo-Indian Olympics to relocate] ] , and elected to examine other venues.

The general assembly voted to have the games held at the new location earlier that spring [ [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19836155/ Eskimo Olympics come to Anchorage] ] .

ee also

*Arctic Winter Games
*Nalukataq -- traditional blanket toss celebrations

References

External links

* [http://www.weio.org/ Official site]
* [http://fairbanks-alaska.com/eskimo-indian-olympic-history.htm History of the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics]
* [http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1060874393 World Eskimo-Indian Olympics] News article from "Indian Country"
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12178364 Eskimo-Indian Olympics Capture Native Traditions] as covered by the NPR programme, "All Things Considered"