Mountain Weekly News ~
JACKSON, WYO – The 2015 Intertribal Winter Sports Summit is an event that brings together Native youth, elders and snow sports enthusiasts. This cultural exchange includes people from the Great Plans Nations and the Jackson Hole community to inspire young people to spend more time in the mountains enjoying winter activities.
This winter sports event provides an opportunity for local reservation residents to participate in a host of activities including learning to ski and snowboard, taking a cross country tour of Yellowstone National Park, taking a sleigh ride among elk herds, stow tubing at Snow King Mountain Resort and even soaking in nearby hot springs.
The cross-cultural experience will be an open exchange between native elders, youth and local residents to support a new alliance between the Jackson Hole community and surrounding Native peoples. The vision of Intertribal Winter Sports Summit creators was to get Native youth from surrounding reservations out on the mountain to ski or snowboard. The most important part about the event is to develop connections through conversation, ceremony, dance and mountain sports.
Skiers and snowboarders are mountain people. We spend our time out in nature and directly connect with others who share the respect and passion for the natural world. Native Americans thrived in these wild places hunting, playing and dancing, holding ceremonies and living free on the Earth. This event was developed to coordinate an opportunity for Native youth, snowboarders and skiers along with the elders, to create a space for cultural dialogue between the Jackson Hole community and participating reservations.
The 2015 Intertribal Winter Sports Summit will be held March 25-29 and kicks off with a final fundraising effort on Saturday March 21. Join us to celebrate the new moon and solar eclipse!
2015 InterTribal Winter Sports Summit Schedule
Wednesday, March 25th
Native neighbors are invited to stay with participating host families in the Jackson Hole community. For those participants not staying with host families, dinner will be offered.
Thursday, March 26th
Breakfast is provided and then participants will be taken to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort for an opening ceremony at the top of Tram. Kids will then be outfitted in donated gear or rental equipment and paired up with guides and instructors. Elders then get the opportunity to enjoy a complimentary spa/massage/wellness treatment or just hang out on the mountain. Lunch will be offered and at the end of the day participants can head back to their host family home.
Friday, March 27th
Kids return for another day of snowboarding or skiing and elders are encouraged to join a different host family for dinner.
Saturday, March 28th
Is a FREE day for participants to explore downtown Jackson Hole. Performers will prepare events at the Center for the Arts and participants can there enjoy a social mixer and an evening of pow wow performances, music and stories from elders and youth, with an open mic type format. A potluck dinner will be served and then participants can prepare to return home.
Sunday, March 29th
Host families and event staff will take participants into town to start heading back.
The Intertribal Winter Sports Summit is a heartfelt community effort developed by good people – but there are limited financial resources.
If you would like to help these kids experience the mountain you can offer your cash.
The post The Natives were here First appeared first on Mountain Weekly News by Brittany Artwohl.