When the long, dark night ends, games begin

May in May in Copper varnish, Arctic town with two thousand inhabitantscelebrate Hamlet days. At the time, they do not remember the Danish prince, which is hit by a tragic end in Shakespeare’s drama, but celebrates the anniversary of the main administrative unit in the Canadian Arctic of the same name. As a result, the snow is melting quickly and the landscape gets a more colorful face. In Slovenia, temperatures are sometimes almost summer, but in the north they are just beginning to rejoice in spring. This is also intended for the week when life in the city stops and everyone is attending various events that city authorities prepare for residents.

Every day from noon to evening, games are intended for virtually all age groups. They are very simple and do not require many gadgets. One of them is a tournament in throwing a cube. Two players participate and those who throw a higher number goes to the next round. In the second game, the contestants put themselves in a circle and throw a cube one after the other. Everyone has a wooden board and five nails. When the player throws a pre -agreed number, for example three, he runs into the middle of the circle where he lies the hammer, and with a worse hand he stabs his nails in the board. If someone else throws three in the meantime, it runs in the middle, it takes a hammer and stabs its nails. The one who first scores all five nails wins the first. The game has nothing: they cheer the nuts on screws, jump over the ring and the like.

The reward is also important

In addition to the games that take place in the interior, those outside, on the lake, also take place. As the ice is still more than two meters thick, residents can be brought to the ice surface by car or four -wheeler and then observe games such as rolling barrels, dragging a partner on the sled, running and hoping. Some are primarily intended for entertaining spectators – such are beauty competitions where competitors wear plastic bags, festive dresses, dresses that try to cover their identity, and the like. Design attempts entertain the audience immensely to crumble aloud, there was a whole fall from the chair.

Inuiti, though, like to have fun, but to participate in such events, they need motivation, reward, or at least the opportunity to win a raffle or competition. This is also reflected in other areas: for example, if teachers want their parents to come to school, they even have to organize a prize draw at a parent meeting. Financial rewards in competitions are relatively high, for the first place $ 60, for the second 40 and for the third 20. Some games take only a few seconds, so this is a great opportunity for many to make money.

Beauty Competition and Surprised Judge

Participation in the games is also great because they are simple, they are further aided by the categories that exist for everyone, even for newborns, instead of which parents are competing. The prize pool is accumulated throughout the year with a weekly raffle, also organized by the administrative unit. The raffle is done by the phone, so with the organization there are no additional costs, and the elderly, who would have a hard time getting to the scene, especially during the cold winter months. Participation in the raffle is paid, the money is accumulated in a fund, which they then spend on opportunities such as Hamlet Days.

There is no chair to see on the frozen lake, so they are brought by themselves – or it serves as a four -wheeler. Photo: Timotej Cvirn, Jaka Mojskerc

A few days after arriving at Baker Lake, we head to the Arena, where all public events, including games take place. We enter the hall, much like a school gym, and although we are early, it is almost full. People sit in chairs arranged along the walls so that there is a place to happen in the middle. Approaches the games organizer and kindly asks us for help at just the moment when the beauty competition of babies begins. As a newcomer, she would be a great neutral judge, he says, since we don’t know anyone in the city.

Before being aware, we already find ourselves in front of some ten moms who hold their little girls dressed in princesses in their lap. We look around. Some two hundred people are looking at and expecting our decision – which less than a year old « princess » will take home a cash prize? With the unease of discomfort, we are dealing with our work because we are not exactly taught about the subject, we evaluate the ingenuity in costume. When the first category ends, it is already a new MAM group, holding children dressed in little prince in their hands. Thus, the matter continues with older children, and in the end adults also come.

How did the games have been created

Inuit games originate from the period when they lived in clans as nomads. When we talk about inuites or eskimas, we usually imagine happy families who live in igloses and summer in tents in the winter, fish on ice and are dressed in animal skins. This is partly true, but reality is far from so romantic. Winters in the north are long, cold and dark, in communities the highest in the north is all winter like one long night. They used to spend winters in the dark, enclosed in igloons, which were at least partially protected from severe cold, wind and bears. The only light source was a small lamp, but it emitted very little light and heat. It was made of stone, on which, with a fine flame, whaling oil was slowly burning. When they ran out of food, only adult men went hunting. There was no other job at this time. Life was difficult and unique, so they had to be resourceful and imagine how they would be mistaken for remaining mentally healthy. A bunch of different games developed from this.

Laughter and joy are in the fuel that drives the game period. Photo: Timotej Cvirn, Jaka Mojskerc

There is also a great importance that games in Inuit culture also have a dark side. Traditional games are really simple and connect people, but they also penetrate video games into this culture, which take over adolescents and bring all the bad qualities that we notice in the Western world. Not only do they have a bad effect on the development of the brain, but the youth there is coming to a home couch or bed. But every gaming console or other accessory is even more expensive because of the high shipping costs than in the south, and it is also a very expensive internet that is needed for most of these games. Parents are not yet aware enough and the child is not limiting the child, and since the school is not mandatory, many children spend all their time in front of screens, immersed in virtual worlds. This also separates them from friends, becoming more lonely and not socializing well. This is another reason for the many mental problems they have.

Another, perhaps even more common problem, is gambling. From a raffle that is popular in all Arctic communities and is mainly played by the elderly, to gaming machines, which are now accessible online and attract adolescents in particular. When we visited one of the Inuit families, we were able to experience how it affects everyday life. The father lies on the couch, recurring wheezing sounds come from his phone. Suddenly, he turns towards us and admits to us without hesitation that he is a compulsive gambler. He just got a payment that day, so he could play again. He says this without shame, as something usual, maybe even with a touch of pride. We have heard more stories about people who have a job and could live financially carefree, but because of the high costs with what kind of games they often make a living.