The eighth annual Traditional Games was held in Juneau this weekend at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé.
More than 250 athletes from 30 teams from across the state, the Lower 48 and Canada competed in a dozen different events rooted in Alaska Native values.
Matthew Chagluak of Anchorage sat low on the gym floor at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Saturday morning. His neck was craned upward and his eyes were laser-focused on a ball hanging on a piece of string above him.
Suddenly, in one fluid motion, he kicked a leg up to touch the ball while balancing on one hand, successfully executing an Alaskan High Kick.
“By showing grace in your events, its showing respect for not only the event, but yourself too,” he said.
Chagluak is Yupik, and he’s one of more than 250 athletes who came to Juneau to compete in the eighth annual Traditional Games. Many of them are Indigenous, but the games are open to participants from any background.
“It’s all about family and people who I care about, showing my support and having fun at the same time,” he said.
Throughout the three-day event, the athletes from 30 different teams competed in a dozen different games. Each requires a unique skill set, a lot of training and focus. They’re all rooted in Indigenous hunting and survival skills.
“The history goes back hundreds maybe 1000s of years, so let’s see it continue hundreds or 1000s of more years,” said Kyle Worl, a coach who leads the program in Juneau.
He said the games had a profound impact on him when he began participating as a high schooler. Now, as an adult and coach, he wants to make sure other young people can experience them too.
“It’s a way to celebrate our culture and carry on these games and introduce them to youth throughout the Southeast region and beyond,” he said.
Nathan Blake is a high school senior in Juneau. Not only did he compete, but he was also in charge of getting the crowd of family, friends and spectators excited.
He said the inclusiveness of the games is one of the biggest reasons he’s drawn to them.
“All of us have really our own reasons to love this and appreciate the values that it brings to each home,” he said. “This is an event that teaches everyone that this isn’t just a game for one culture and one only. This is a game for everyone to come together and just be one with one another, regardless of how you look or what you do.”
Ricardo Worl, Kyle’s uncle, was a coach for the games in Juneau back in the 1980s and was honored on Saturday. During a speech to the athletes, he called on them to continue to uplift their culture and diversity amid the political turmoil happening in the country.
“We have grown-ups who don’t believe that being diverse, being inclusive, is something that should be supported,” he said. “Your added responsibility for this weekend is to be exactly who you are as athletes, Alaska Natives, proud, respectful.”
This year, athletes broke 12 records in different categories and age groups. Organizers say this year’s Traditional Games were one of the biggest held since they began in 2018.
