Fort Nelson Handgames Society hosts local tournament on Feb 3

FORT NELSON, B.C. — The Fort Nelson Handgames Society is set to host its first local tournament of 2024 on February 3rd after hosting the provincial championships last year.

According to Ryan Dickie, president of the Fort Nelson Handgames Society, the B.C. tournament is a marquee event held in the town every couple of years.

 “We’re carrying a lot of momentum from that event,” said Dickie. 

Dickie says unlike the one last summer, which hosted teams from Alberta, Yukon and the Northwest Territories, this one will have a grassroots feel.

According to a release from the Fort Nelson Handgames Society, traditional Dene hand games are a complex guessing game energized by the double beat of drummers supporting each team.

 The object is to score sticks by hiding an object in one of two hands by the opposing team’s “shooter.” 

The shooter indicates which hand each player is hiding their object in by using different hand gestures.  

To win the game, a team must win all the sticks in the match.

“It’s a game of luck,” said Dickey.

What differs from the provincial championship is that this event will be co-ed.  Only males aged 12 and up are allowed to traditionally participate.  

“It will be six a side,” said Dickey. “So that equates to about 15 sticks in the middle that they are competing for.”

The event will be raising funds for Logan Torraville and his family.  

Torraville was injured in a UTV accident last fall and is recovering away from home.  

Dickie said that Torraville, who is non-Indigenous, was always participating in tournaments and was enthusiastic about hand games. 

Dickie felt, given Logan’s connection to the culture, that it was fitting to raise money for the family this way.

“We really felt it was a good way to fundraise for him through this space,” said Dickie.

Entry fees for the handgames tournament are $300. Registration will open on February 3rd at 10 a.m.

 All members of the public are welcome to sign up.  More information is available through the Fort Nelson Handgames Facebook page.