Origins, Traditional Native American Games - recreated, rediscovered, revived for First People culture survival

This summer the "First International Native Games Conference" will be held at Salish Kootenai College on June 26 - 28, 2013.

PROGRAM

The speakers will follow three themes:

1. Use of traditional Indian games (purposes & values) to develop the spirit, body, mind, and connections with the seen & unseen world,

2. The results of historic trauma on body and soul (see Discover Magazine: May, 2013 "Trait or Fate").

3. The neuroscience of brain chemistry with play and joy… healing the body & soul.

Dr. Gregory Cajete and the instructors of Native games will follow the first theme in their sessions. Dr. Billie Jo Kipp (Blackfeet), Blackfeet Community College and Dr. Gyda Swanny (Salish) University of Montana will present the second theme, and Dr. Sergio Pellis, (University of Lethbridge) and Dr. Jaak Panksepp (Washington State University) will present the neuroscience of play.

On the final day of the conference, there will be two panels of experts that will simply discuss what they have heard and seen, then make recommendations for future efforts to heal our world.

TRADITIONAL GAMES

Years of recovering Native games have resulted in such remarkable wisdom about Indian cultures and their survival here in the Americas. In Montana, the International Traditional Games Society has quietly worked with traditionalists to recover Native games. The recovery has shown preservation of spiritual ties to community, land and place, that was reflected through laughter, joy, and play. The recovery of a game, whether for adults or children, involved season, nature of place, values and purposes, and ties to honor and spirits.

This will be a great opportunity to gain understand of the biology and neuroscience of survival that promotes community and good relations. Those are reasons why all of us are the "Last Hominids Standing"... cooperation and kinship.

HISTORY

International Traditional Games Society was organized in 1997 by Tribal College Presidents and Tribal Culture Directors for the mission of recovering and restoring the traditional games of our regional tribes, including those relatives across the Canadian border.

LODGING

There are special room rates at the beautiful KwaTaqNuk Lodge on Flathead Lake at Polson, Montana on the land of the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes. Be sure to mention that you are attending the 2013 International Traditional Games Conference when you register.