Eskimo yo-yo

Basic motion of the yo-yo, the handle must be moved rhythmically to maintain the orbits

An Eskimo yo-yo[a] or Alaska yo-yo[b] (Central Yupik: yuuyuuk;[19] Inupiaq: igruuraak) is a traditional two-balled skill toy played and performed by the Eskimo-speaking Alaska Natives, such as Inupiat, Siberian Yupik, and Yup'ik. It resembles fur-covered bolas and yo-yo. It is regarded as one of the most simple, yet most complex, cultural artifacts/toys in the world.[8][9] The Eskimo yo-yo involves simultaneously swinging two sealskin balls suspended on caribou sinew strings in opposite directions with one hand. It is popular with Alaskans and tourists alike.[10] This traditional toy is two unequal lengths of twine, joined together, with hand-made leather objects (balls, bells, hearts) at the ends of the twine.[20][c]

The object of the Eskimo yo-yo is to make the balls circle in opposite directions at the same time. Each cord is a different length to allow the balls to pass without striking one another,[16][12] and the balls are powered by centripetal force (as they rise the performer pumps down, while they fall the performer pumps up).[17] This basic trick may be referred to as the "Eskimo orbit", and the orbit may be performed vertically, horizontally, or (horizontally) above one's head.[21] Other tricks or patterns include atypical beginnings and wrapping and/or bouncing the strings around a part of one's body and then continuing with the orbit. A three-ball version of the Eskimo yo-yo also exists, and this requires all three balls to be moving at the same time.[22]

The objects at the end of the string are made in a variety of shapes, ranging from seals, ptarmigan feet and dolls, to miniature mukluks and simple balls.[10][12] The handle may be wood, bone, or ivory,[13] as well as baleen. Many are plainly decorated; others display elaborate decorations, fine beadwork, and intricate details.[10] The Eskimo yo-yo is bola, toy, and art form all rolled into one. One of their most popular forms of the Alaska Native art are yo-yos. Also, this is a popular tourist art found in gift shops across Alaska.[10] See: Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990. Much like the spinning top (e.g. Maxwell's top), the yo-yo may also be used to demonstrate visual properties such as optical rotation[23] and circular dichroism.[24]

Though the early history of the Eskimo yo-yo is not recorded, Eskimos maintain that this game originated as an important and widely used hunting tool made simply with sinew and bones, the bola.[10][15][18] It possibly evolved on St. Lawrence Island from the similarly constructed sinew and rock bolas used in bird hunting.[11]

  1. ^ Israel, Mark. "Eskimo". Alt-usage-english.org. Archived from the original on 2012-04-03. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
  2. ^ "Cree Mailing List Digest November 1997". Archived from the original on 2012-06-20. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
  3. ^ Mailhot, Jose (1978). "L'etymologie de "esquimau" revue et corrigée". Études/Inuit/Studies. 2 (2).
  4. ^ Goddard, Ives (1984). Handbook of North American Indians, Vol. 5 (Arctic). Smithsonian Institution. ISBN 978-0-16-004580-6.
  5. ^ Kaplan, Lawrence. "Inuit or Eskimo: Which name to use?" Alaskan Native Language Center, UFA. Retrieved 14 Feb 2015. Archived 2017-04-22 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "Setting the Record Straight About Native Languages: What Does "Eskimo" Mean In Cree?". Native-languages.org. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
  7. ^ "Eskimo". American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language:banana, 2000. Bartleby. Archived from the original on 2001-04-12. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
  8. ^ a b Kiana, Chris (2004/2016). Original 100 Alaska Eskimo Yo-Yo Stratagems: Instructional Book. Publication Consultants. ASIN: B007SNYM38. ISBN 978-1594330131/ISBN 9781594331879. [pages needed]
  9. ^ a b "Chris Kiana". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 2014-11-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) and "Keynote Speaker: Christopher (Chris) J. Kiana, M.B.A., MA-RD, Ph.D., candidate", WCSpeakers.com (accessed: December 01 2016).
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Klistoff, Alysa J. (2007), Weapon, Toy, or Art? The Eskimo yo-yo as a commodified Arctic bola and marker of cultural Identity[permanent dead link]. University of Alaska Fairbanks. OCLC 103303229.
  11. ^ a b c Applegate Krouse, Susan and Howard, Heather A. (2009). Keeping the Campfires Going: Native Women's Activism in Urban Communities, p.103, n.4 (cites Lee, Molly. "Strands of Gold", Anchorage Daily News (We Alaskans). October 17, 1999, 18-13.). University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 9780803226456.
  12. ^ a b c d Morrow, Phyllis (1987). Making the best of two worlds: an anthropological approach to the development of bilingual education materials in southwestern Alaska, p.206, n.1. Cornell.
  13. ^ a b c "Eskimo Yo-Yo Archived 2016-12-01 at the Wayback Machine", AnchorageMuseum.org/Shop. Accessed: November 30, 2016.
  14. ^ a b "Eskimo Yo-Yo - Cylindrical Archived 2016-11-30 at the Wayback Machine", AlaskaMuseumStore.com. Accessed: November 30, 2016.
  15. ^ a b c "Juanita Tukrook", CommunityCelebration.org. ("First Nation Inupiak elder. Born in Fairbanks, Alaska in a small village called Tanana along the Arctic slope."): "Even when we catch ducks, we use this for a feather duster or you know something in the house. We try to use all parts of the animal. This is um...made from seal and this is called ah...Alaskan yo-yo, Eskimo yo-yo. And this is how you work it. But this is some of the toys I played with growing up." Accessed November 29, 2061.
  16. ^ a b c d e "Eskimo Bolo Archived 2014-11-09 at the Wayback Machine", ToysfromthePast.com. Accessed: November 29, 2016.
  17. ^ a b Walton, Sandra J. "An Inuit yo-yo", Science Experiments on File (FOFWeb.com/onfiles/SEOF), p.2.
  18. ^ a b c Donachy, Jack & Barbra (October 8, 2013. "Inupiat (Eskimo) Yo-Yo with Polar Bear Fur", CutterLight.com. Accessed November 29, 2016.
  19. ^ Liz Atseriak, Igarta and Brunk, Cara (1998). Yuuyuuk [Eskimo yo-yo]. Lower Kuskokwim School District. ASIN: B01FWT5PY4. (in Central Yupik)
  20. ^ Doogan, Mike (1993). How to Speak Alaskan, [page needed]. Epicenter. ISBN 9780945397243.
  21. ^ Kiana, Chris. "3 Basic Tricks". Archived from the original on 10 February 2005. Retrieved 2016-11-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  22. ^ "More than One Way to Play Bola". CHIN-Canadian Heritage Information Network. Archived from the original on 5 June 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  23. ^ Gill, S. J. (1961), "A demonstration of optical rotation with an "Eskimo yo-yo"". Journal of Chemical Education 38 (5): 263. (subscription required)
  24. ^ Meloan, Clifton E. and Gere, Dennis (1977), "The use of an Eskimo yo-yo to demonstrate circular dichroism and optical rotation". Journal of Chemical Education 54 (9): 577. (subscription required)


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