Traditionally the hunting party would locate a spot, where four suitable trees were spaced roughly in a square 20 to 30 feet across. These trees would average 4 to 6 inches at the butt and 25 to 30 feet tall.

A thick, tough piece of moosehide would be folded into several thicknesses measuring 1 and one-half feet square for the mat. Strong braided caribou rope would be attached firmly to each of the corners of the mat. Each of these ropes were then attached to the trees, about 5 to 6 feet above the ground. The lengths of these four ropes were adjusted until the mat was in the middle point between the four trees. These ropes were then tightened up, so that when someone stood on the mat it sunk no more than a foot. The lines had to be very tight in order to get a good high bounce.

To tighten the lines further and give the mat more bounce a stick 1 to 2 inches around and 6 to 8 feet long was attached to each of the four support ropes. This was done by twisting the rope around each end of the stick with a "half-hitch" knot. The stick was placed midway between the mat and the tree.

When the bouncing mat was firmly set up, the game would begin with a man stationed at each bouncing stick, and the bouncer on the mat. Everyone else would gather around the bouncer to laugh at his attempts to stay on the mat and to catch him when he fell off. The four men, would pull the bouncing sticks down all together throwing the bouncer· up in the air. As the pullers rhythmically drew the mat down harder and harder the bouncer went higher and higher to the delight of the onlookers.

The bouncer tried to see how high he could get and how many bounces he could make before falling off. He was also judged on the quality of his moves in the air.