Objective of the Game

The Moose Hide Toss of the Sahtu Dene was identical to the Gwich'in Bouncing Game, but it was played with moose hides of varying sizes. Also, to make the jumping even more difficult, a stone or rock was sometimes sewn into the hide. This made it harder for the jumper to maintain his balance.

Equipment

1. For the full Moose hide Toss: Moose snares from babiche are sewn to the arm and leg parts of the moose hide.
2. For the Moose hide Toss with a small moose hide: The same set-up as in ( 1 ), but the moose hide is only 60 cm square.
3. For the Moose Hide-and-Rock Toss: Players jump onto a moose hide bag into which a rock has been sewn.
4. Four strong nylon ropes, 6-8 m long each. If babiche ropes are used, they have to be at least 5 strands thick.

Playing Area

Full Moose Hide Toss and Moose Hide-and-Rock Toss

• The loose ends of the moose snares are tied to four very strong poles or trees

about 1-1.2 m off the ground. The trees should stand far enough apart in a square formation to allow the hide and babiche to be stretched out very tightly. When it is tightened just right, according to Fred Andrews, "it is sup­posed to sound like a drum."

Small Moose Hide Toss

• Four men each hold one of the snares, and, working together, they toss the player higher and higher. A moose snare of babiche is approximately 4 cm in diameter, and not even a strong moose can break it. It is impossible that a per­son could break four of them.

Teams and Players

Whoever wants to play can take part. This is a competition between individual players, not a team competition.

How to Play

Preparation

• In the summer, the competitors wear traditional moccasins.
• When the game is played in winter, snowshoes can be worn to make the game more difficult.

Starting Position

• The player jumps onto the blanket.
• It has not been described whether the competitor was allowed to use his hands when jumping onto the blanket.

Movement

• He jumps into the air, and lands on both feet.

Duration and End of Competition

• The player who stays on the moose hide the longest, wins the competition. It often happened that the person with the strongest legs would win.

Safety Considerations

The Moose Hide-and-Rock Toss is the hardest of the three. In this version, spotters, specta­tors and other participants should be ready to catch jumpers who tumble off the blanket.