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The World Eskimo-Indian Olympics are held annually in Fairbanks, Alaska and include such sports as 'blanket toss', 'high kicks', 'four man carry' and 'whale blubber eating'. These are just a few of the fifty-odd old sports, which were intended to promote the ability to survive as well as providing an excuse for amicable competition. The Games appear chaotic and informal; everyone is free to participate. But world records are also made: how about a forty-metre distance jumped on knuckles and toes, and the pain afterwards? Winning (e.g. the seal skinning competition in 1'45") is not the most important aim, but the friendly gathering and maintaining their own identity. As one (very modern) participant said about her (often racially-prejudiced) fellow-Americans: 'We've got the same things they got, except that we've got a culture (...), that we're trying to bring back.' Another extremely successful documentary by Skip Blumberg.
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Sound, light and VTR: Jan Kroeze, Editing: John J. Godfrey, Photography: Charles Backus, Production: Skip Blumberg, Andy Aaron, Jane Aaron, Sandy Osawa, Margie Schwartz
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