About 70 jumpers from different islands of the archipelago participated from December 6 to 9 in the First Island Meeting of Canarian Shepherd's Leap, co-organized by the Cabildo de Lanzarote and the Jurria El Salem and promoted by the Tagoror Insular de Juegos y Deportes Tradicionales, which aims to promote the practice of native sports and games.
The meeting included two routes in which the jumpers used their work tools -called spears, sticks, astias, cans, antlers or verdones, depending on the area where they are used- with which Canarian shepherds have moved for centuries through irregular terrain with slopes and unevenness, in the performance of their work.
The first took place on Friday the 7th and joined the Temisa Valley with Famara through the Rincón de la Paja; and the second took place the following day joining Temisa with Guatiza through the Palomo Valley and the Tenegüime Ravine.
Already on Sunday, Mancha Blanca hosted an exhibition of both the Shepherd's Leap and the Conejero Stick Game, Cristín Feo style, as well as the Déniz de Tenerife style Stick Game and the Garrote Game. In addition, members of the Pueblo Maho Association gave a demonstration of Gomero whistling.
The Minister of Sports, Lorenzo Reyes (PP), expresses his gratitude to the jumpers and other participants in the exhibitions of traditional games and practices "for contributing to spreading a part of our cultural heritage, a task that the Cabildo will continue to carry out in its objective that especially the youngest conserve our traditions".
