The body itself is a media for expression. Gestures, dances, and skills find form in the body’s training. In Alaskan Native games, the body is knowledge itself, sharing and retaining memory for physical and cultural survival.
“Games of Inua” (digital video, 20 min.) is an original documentary featuring the renowned Alaskan Native Athlete, Carol Pickett, and her son, Jared. We follow mother and son to the World Eskimo Indian Olympics, where they both participate in competitions of strength, endurance, and agility. We learn of the family’s involvement with the “Northern Inua Show,” a theatrical show currently hosted by the UA Museum in Fairbanks, which showcases these same Alaskan Native games. The traditional as well as current values of these games are revealed to the viewers through the love, joy, and enthusiasm of the athletic participants.
A window into cultural performance as a tool for cultural preservation and solidarity, “Games of Inua” celebrates Alaska Native Games.
Maya Salganek 