An Eskimo yo-yo or Alaska yo-yo ( esu, yuuyuuk; ik, igruuraak) is a traditional two-balled

skill toy A skill toy is an object or theatrical prop used for dexterity play or an object manipulation performance. A skill toy can be any static or inanimate object with which a person dances, manipulates, spins, tosses, or simply plays. Most skill toys ...

played and performed by the

Eskimo Eskimo () is an exonym used to refer to two closely related Indigenous peoples: the Inuit (including the Alaska Native Iñupiat, the Greenlandic Inuit, and the Canadian Inuit) and the Yupik peoples, Yupik (or Siberian Yupik, Yuit) of eastern Si ...

-speaking

Alaska Natives Alaska Natives (also known as Alaskan Natives, Native Alaskans, Indigenous Alaskans, Aboriginal Alaskans or First Alaskans) are the indigenous peoples of Alaska and include Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and a numbe ...

, such as Inupiat,

Siberian Yupik Siberian Yupiks, or Yuits (russian: Юиты), are a Yupik peoples, Yupik people who reside along the coast of the Chukchi Peninsula in the far Russian Far East, northeast of the Russia, Russian Federation and on St. Lawrence Island in Alask ...

, and

Yup'ik The Yup'ik or Yupiaq (sg & pl) and Yupiit or Yupiat (pl), also Central Alaskan Yup'ik, Central Yup'ik, Alaskan Yup'ik ( own name ''Yup'ik'' sg ''Yupiik'' dual ''Yupiit'' pl; russian: Юпики центральной Аляски), are an I ...

. It resembles fur-covered

bolas Bolas or bolases (singular bola; from Spanish and Portuguese ''bola'', "ball", also known as a ''boleadora'' or ''boleadeira'') is a type of throwing weapon made of weights on the ends of interconnected cords, used to capture animals by entang ...

and

yo-yo A yo-yo (also spelled yoyo) is a toy consisting of an axle connected to two disks, and a string looped around the axle, similar to a spool. It is an ancient toy with proof of existence since 500 BCE. The yo-yo was also called a bandalore in ...

. It is regarded as one of the most simple, yet most complex, cultural artifacts/toys in the world.Kiana, Chris (2004/2016). ''Original 100 Alaska Eskimo Yo-Yo Stratagems: Instructional Book''. Publication Consultants. ASIN: B007SNYM38. /. and
Keynote Speaker: Christopher (Chris) J. Kiana, M.B.A., MA-RD, Ph.D., candidate
, ''WCSpeakers.com'' (accessed: December 01 2016). The Eskimo yo-yo involves simultaneously swinging two sealskin balls suspended on

caribou Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 subspe ...

sinew A tendon or sinew is a tough, high-tensile-strength band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. It is able to transmit the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system without sacrificing its ability ...

strings in opposite directions with one hand. It is popular with Alaskans and tourists alike.Klistoff, Alysa J. (2007),
Weapon, Toy, or Art? The Eskimo yo-yo as a commodified Arctic bola and marker of cultural Identity
'. University of Alaska Fairbanks. . This traditional toy is two unequal lengths of twine, joined together, with hand-made leather objects (balls, bells, hearts) at the ends of the twine. The object of the Eskimo yo-yo is to make the balls circle in opposite directions at the same time. Each cord is a different length to allow the balls to pass without striking one another,Eskimo Bolo
", ''ToysfromthePast.com''. Accessed: November 29, 2016.Morrow, Phyllis (1987).
Making the best of two worlds: an anthropological approach to the development of bilingual education materials in southwestern Alaska
', p.206, n.1. Cornell. and the balls are powered by

centripetal force A centripetal force (from Latin ''centrum'', "center" and ''petere'', "to seek") is a force that makes a body follow a curved path. Its direction is always orthogonal to the motion of the body and towards the fixed point of the instantaneous c ...

(as they rise the performer pumps down, while they fall the performer pumps up).Walton, Sandra J.
An Inuit yo-yo
, ''Science Experiments on File'' (''FOFWeb.com/onfiles/SEOF''), p.2. This basic trick may be referred to as the "Eskimo orbit", and the orbit may be performed vertically, horizontally, or (horizontally) above one's head. Other tricks or patterns include atypical beginnings and wrapping and/or bouncing the strings around a part of one's body and then continuing with the orbit. A three-ball version of the Eskimo yo-yo also exists, and this requires all three balls to be moving at the same time. The objects at the end of the string are made in a variety of shapes, ranging from

seals Seals may refer to: * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impress an emblem, used as a means of a ...

ptarmigan ''Lagopus'' is a small genus of birds in the grouse subfamily commonly known as ptarmigans (). The genus contains three living species with numerous described subspecies, all living in tundra or cold upland areas. Taxonomy and etymology The ge ...

feet and

dolls A doll is a model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and wood are found ...

, to miniature

mukluks Mukluks or kamik ( iu, ᑲᒥᒃ ) (singular: , plural: ) are a soft boot, traditionally made of reindeer (caribou) skin or sealskin, and worn by Arctic aboriginal people, including the Inuit, Iñupiat, and Yup'ik. Mukluks may be worn over a ...

and simple balls. The handle may be wood, bone, or ivory, as well as

baleen Baleen is a filter-feeding system inside the mouths of baleen whales. To use baleen, the whale first opens its mouth underwater to take in water. The whale then pushes the water out, and animals such as krill are filtered by the baleen and ...

. Many are plainly decorated; others display elaborate decorations, fine

beadwork Beadwork is the art or craft of attaching beads to one another by stringing them onto a thread or thin wire with a sewing or beading needle or sewing them to cloth. Beads are produced in a diverse range of materials, shapes, and sizes, and vary b ...

, and intricate details. The Eskimo yo-yo is bola, toy, and art form all rolled into one. One of their most popular forms of the

Alaska Native art Alaska Native cultures are rich and diverse, and their art forms are representations of their history, skills, tradition, adaptation, and nearly twenty thousand years of continuous life in some of the most remote places on earth. These art forms a ...

are yo-yos. Also, this is a popular tourist art found in gift shops across Alaska. Some shops carry only Native-made pieces, while others, according to Alysa Klistoff, carry imitation pieces made in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. See:

Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-644) is a truth-in-advertising law which prohibits misrepresentation in marketing of American Indian or Alaska Native arts and crafts products within the United States. It is illegal to offer or d ...

. Much like the

spinning top A spinning top, or simply a top, is a toy with a squat body and a sharp point at the bottom, designed to be spun on its vertical axis, balancing on the tip due to the gyroscopic effect. Once set in motion, a top will usually wobble for a few se ...

(e.g.

Maxwell's top A color triangle is an arrangement of colors within a triangle, based on the additive combination of three primary colors at its corners. An additive color space defined by three primary colors has a chromaticity gamut that is a color trian ...

), the yo-yo may also be used to demonstrate visual properties such as

optical rotation Optical rotation, also known as polarization rotation or circular birefringence, is the rotation of the orientation of the plane of polarization about the optical axis of linearly polarized light as it travels through certain materials. Circul ...

and circular dichroism.Meloan, Clifton E. and Gere, Dennis (1977),
The use of an Eskimo yo-yo to demonstrate circular dichroism and optical rotation
. ''Journal of Chemical Education'' 54 (9): 577. Though the early history of the Eskimo yo-yo is not recorded, Eskimos maintain that this game originated as an important and widely used hunting tool made simply with sinew and bones, the bola.Juanita Tukrook
, ''CommunityCelebration.org''. ("First Nation Inupiak elder. Born in Fairbanks, Alaska in a small village called Tanana along the Arctic slope."): "Even when we catch ducks, we use this for a feather duster or you know something in the house. We try to use all parts of the animal. This is um...made from seal and this is called ah...Alaskan yo-yo, Eskimo yo-yo. And this is how you work it. But this is some of the toys I played with growing up." Accessed November 29, 2061.Donachy, Jack & Barbra (October 8, 2013.
Inupiat (Eskimo) Yo-Yo with Polar Bear Fur
, ''CutterLight.com''. Accessed November 29, 2016. It possibly evolved on

St. Lawrence Island St. Lawrence Island ( ess, Sivuqaq, russian: Остров Святого Лаврентия, Ostrov Svyatogo Lavrentiya) is located west of mainland Alaska in the Bering Sea, just south of the Bering Strait. The village of Gambell, located on t ...

from the similarly constructed sinew and rock bolas used in bird hunting.Applegate Krouse, Susan and Howard, Heather A. (2009).
Keeping the Campfires Going: Native Women's Activism in Urban Communities
', p.103, n.4 (cites Lee, Molly. "Strands of Gold", ''Anchorage Daily News (We Alaskans)''. October 17, 1999, 18-13.). University of Nebraska Press. . __NOTOC__

Explanatory notes

References

External links

* * * {{Object manipulation Inupiat culture Rotation Traditional toys Yo-yos Yupik culture

See also

Explanatory notes

References

Further reading

External links