FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU/KTVF) – The 2025 Dena Games begin March 13 at the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center.
The sporting event, hosted by the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics (WEIO), brings community members together to participate in a series of games popular in Alaska Native culture.
Some of these games correspond to survival skills needed for the Alaskan bush, including the Snow Snake which involves throwing the titular object as far as you can along a snow track.
Snow Snake imitates the skills needed for hunting small game.
Other games played each year include the Dene Hand Game, the Dena Stick Pull and Snowshoe Races.
The Dena Games are open to anyone in the community who wishes to compete.
This is in contrast to WEIO, which happens each summer, and requires that all members be at least 1/16th Alaska Native or of certain other Indigenous groups.
The games are scheduled to start at noon Thursday, and run until Sunday, March 16, according to Explore Fairbanks.
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