'We want to uphold our women': Yukon hand games society holds all women tournament

A hand games society in the Yukon has organized its first all-women tournament this weekend in Whitehorse, saying it's a "gift" that women can play in the territory.

"Since we in the Yukon allow women to do this, we feel it's time to do something for our women," said Doronn Fox, president of the 14 Nations Handgames Society.

"With hand games, women have always been involved."

Hand games are a traditional Dene game played predominantly by men and boys in the Northwest Territories — women are seen as a distraction and, for the most part, not allowed to take part.

"Over in N.W.T., they have certain traditions, they have certain cultural understandings that they follow and when we travel over there, we 100 per cent respect their teachings," Fox said.

"In the Yukon, we have the gift of women being able to play, being able to participate with certain protocol to follow.

"We want to show the whole hand games community, not just in Yukon but across Canada, that we allow women to play and we're going to honour them."

'That time is now'

According to Fox, elders teachings say that hundreds of years ago women actually gave the traditional games to men.

"Women were the keepers of the drum. Women were the keepers of the ceremony, the dance, the singing," he said.

"The women gave the men all these teachings...to help the men in those hard times, [so] that one day men would have to give it back to the women.

"We as the 14 Nations believe that time is now."

The tournament runs Friday through Sunday (Mother's Day, which Fox calls "fitting") at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre. It's $50 per person and $300 per team. Newcomers to the game are also welcome  — demos will be held Friday afternoon at the centre.

Fox says the hand games tournament is just the start. All profits and donations raised this weekend will go to a charity that supports missing and murdered women and children.

"We understand what's going on on the national level, that we want to be a part of it and we want to support our women, cause in the Yukon we have some of the strongest women around.

"We believe that it's our obligation to hold up our women."