The high kick is a traditional

Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...

event performed at the

Arctic Winter Games The Arctic Winter Games is a biennial multi-sport and indigenous cultural event involving circumpolar peoples residing in communities or countries bordering the Arctic Ocean. Background The Arctic Winter Games were founded in 1969 under the lea ...

, the

World Eskimo Indian Olympics The World Eskimo-Indian Olympics (or WEIO) is an annual multi-sport event held over a four-day period beginning the 3rd Wednesday each July, designed to preserve cultural practices and traditional (survival) skills essential to life in circumpolar ...

and other traditional events.

One foot high kick

The Inuit one-foot high kick is a traditional competition that is similar to the two foot high kick. In this competition the competitor stands on one foot, jumps in the air and hits a ball or piece of seal such as a

ringed seal The ringed seal (''Pusa hispida'') is an earless seal inhabiting the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. The ringed seal is a relatively small seal, rarely greater than 1.5 m in length, with a distinctive patterning of dark spots surrounded by light ...

, which is suspended from a

gallows A gallows (or scaffold) is a frame or elevated beam, typically wooden, from which objects can be suspended (i.e., hung) or "weighed". Gallows were thus widely used to suspend public weighing scales for large and heavy objects such as sacks ...

and then lands on the same foot. The one foot high kick tests the strength and agility of a hunter. It was also used to signal a successful hunt in some communities. A short film made by

Alethea Arnaquq-Baril Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (born May 9, 1978) is an Inuk filmmaker, known for her work on Inuit life and culture. She is the owner of Unikkaat Studios, a production company in Iqaluit, which produces Inuktitut films. She was awarded the Canadian ...

for the

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gret ...

in Vancouver shows

champion Johnny Issaluk performing a one foot high kick.

Two foot high kick

The two-foot high kick (''akratcheak'') is a traditional

jumping event that occurs at many Arctic sports competitions. In the two-foot high kick, athletes must jump using two feet, touch a hanging target with both feet, and land on both feet, maintaining balance.. ''

''. Originally accessed 2008-04-26. The event is often considered the most demanding Arctic sport. The event has its origin in subsistence

whale hunting Whaling is the process of hunting of whales for their usable products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that became increasingly important in the Industrial Revolution. It was practiced as an organized industry a ...

: when a whale was taken, a messenger would run to the village and kick both feet in the air once within eyeshot. Villagers would then know to prepare to harvest the whale. As of 2007, the men's record in the event was ; the women's record was .Block, Melissa
"Eskimo-Indian Olympics Capture Native Traditions"
''All Things Considered''.

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

(July 23, 2007). Accessed 2008-04-26.

Alaskan high kick

Balance on one foot while holding the other. Kick a target straight above with the balancing foot to reach a target, then land on the balancing and kicking foot.

References

External links

*
The Games
, ''ANKN.UAF.edu''. * {{WEIO Individual sports Inuit games