Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Among North American Indians, a slender shaft from 5 to 9 feet long, with a head curving up at one end and a notch at the other and smaller end; also, the game played with this shaft.
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Flying Squirrel's father -- could throw a snow-snake a mile and a half, over the crust of the snow.
Stories the Iroquois Tell Their Children Mabel Powers
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Morgan [Footnote: League of the Iroquois, p. 303.] describes a winter contest of skill among the Iroquois, which he calls snow-snake.
Indian Games : an historical research Andrew McFarland Davis
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Gawàsa (snow-snake) with two of her comrades, but left them instantly and ran to the Council Hall.
Ten American Girls From History Kate Dickinson Sweetser
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This chief thought never of council fires or pipes or hunting or fishing, he troubled not about joining the other young men in their sports of lacrosse or snow-snake, or bowl-and-beans; to him there was nothing in life but the warpath, no song but the war cry, no color but the war paint.
The Shagganappi 1913
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He came as one that had important news to tell, but he paused not for shout or question from the inquisitive boys who were tumbling about in the light snow, in their favorite sport of Ga-wá-sa or the ` ` snow-snake '' game.
Historic girls; stories of girls who have influenced the history of their times, 1891
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This chief thought never of council fires or pipes or hunting or fishing, he troubled not about joining the other young men in their sports of lacrosse or snow-snake, or bowl-and-beans; to him there was nothing in life but the warpath, no song but the war cry, no color but the war paint.
The Shagganappi E. Pauline Johnson 1887
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He came as one that had important news to tell, but he paused not for shout or question from the inquisitive boys who were tumbling about in the light snow, in their favorite sport of Ga-wa-sa or the "snow-snake" game.
Historic Girls Elbridge Streeter Brooks 1874
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Because that’s exactly how he felt himself each morning when Isaac traipsed off with One Horn and the others to play hotanacute, ice hockey, or throw a shoshiman, a snow-snake, across the ice on the frozen creek.
Betrayed! Patricia Calvert 2002
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Because that’s exactly how he felt himself each morning when Isaac traipsed off with One Horn and the others to play hotanacute, ice hockey, or throw a shoshiman, a snow-snake, across the ice on the frozen creek.
Betrayed! Patricia Calvert 2002
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Because that’s exactly how he felt himself each morning when Isaac traipsed off with One Horn and the others to play hotanacute, ice hockey, or throw a shoshiman, a snow-snake, across the ice on the frozen creek.
Betrayed! Patricia Calvert 2002
hernesheir commented on the word snow-snake
I'd not like to be the one to chase down this thing after every throw. Still, the American Indian game and it's namesake playing-piece sounds interesting.
December 5, 2010