NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN GAMES

GAMES WERE PART OF EVERYDAY LIFE. THEY HAD TRADITIONAL GAMES AND CERTAIN CELEBRATIONS FOR BIRTHS, PUBERTY, AND OTHER TYPES OF RELIGIOUS DATES AS WELL AS DEATHS. THEY HELD GAMES TO HEAL THE SICK AND TRAIN FOR WAR.

GAMES ARE PART OF A LEGEND FROM THE CHEROKEE. THEY INCLUDE TRIBAL STORIES HANDED DOWN. THE ANIMALS CHALLENGED THE BIRDS TO A BALL GAME. THE GREAT HAWKS AND EAGLE TOOK POSITION IN THE TREES, ALONG WITH OTHER BIRDS. ON THE GROUND WERE THE BEAR WHOSE HEAVY WEIGHT COULD SMOTHER THE DEER. BEFORE THE GAME THEY SAW SOME MICE WHO ASKED IF THEY COULD PLAY WITH THE OTHER BIRD. THE BIRDS WANTED THE MICE TO PLAY WITH THEM BUT THEY HAD NO WINGS. THE CAPTAIN POINTED TO THEIR FEET AND SAID - WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO PLAY THE BIRDS? THE BIRDS FOUND A DANCE DRUM AND CUT A SMALL PIECE OF SKIN FROM IT SO THE MICE COULD HAVE WINGS. THUS THE BAT WAS BORN. THE EAGLE AND HAWK RESCUED THE LITTLE ANIMAL WITH IT'S BEAK AND STRETCHED ITS WINGS. AND SO TEWA THE FLYING SQUIRREL WAS BORN. THEN THE BAT AND FLYING SQUIRREL FLEW THE BALL OVER, UNDER, AND AROUND ALL THE ANIMALS AND WON THE GAME FOR THE BIRDS.

THUS CHEROKEE MEN PUT FLYING SQUIRREL OR BAT SKIN ON THEIR PLAYING STICKS. THEY BELIEVED IT WOULD GIVE THEM SWIFTNESS. TO MOVE LIKE THE BIRDS. THE CHOCTAW WORE LARGE PLUMES FROM THEIR BELTS. THEY WORE LITTLE CLOTHING.

MANY TRIBES MADE BALLS OUT OF LEATHER AND THEY MADE GOURDS WITH STRING FOR CHILDREN TO PLAY WITH. THERE WERE A LARGE VARIETY OF GAMES THAT BOTH CHILDREN AND ADULTS PLAYED. THE POMO USED WALNUTS FILLED WITH PINE PITCH AND ABALONE TO PLAY LIKE A DICE GAME. MOST TRIBES GAMBLED HEAVILY ON THE OUTCOME OF THE GAMES PLAYED FOR PLEASURE. THE SMITHSONIAN SENT ETHNOGRAPHERS TO COLLECT ORAL HISTORIES FROM STORYTELLERS AMONG ORAL HISTORIES FROM STORYTELLERS AMONG THE TRIBES. THEY WROTE DOWN EVERYTHING INCLUDING GAMES AFTER 1850 OR SO. SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THE EUROPEANS BROUGHT GAMES TO THE INDIANS.

THE INDIANS USED CORN COBS AS SHUTTLE COCKS TO PLAY A GAME LIKE BADMINTON. THE INDIANS INVENTED LACROSSE AND THE REST OF THE WORLD ENJOYED IT. AT TIMES 1000'S OF INDIANS WOULD GATHER FOR BALL GAMES. THE OLDER MEN BET ON THE GAMES AND MANY DIFFERENT SONGS WERE SUNG TO ACCOMPANY THEIR DRUMS. THEY MADE AS MUCH NOISE AS POSSIBLE.

THE MOST BASIC RULE FOR NATIVE AMERICANS WAS THAT THE BALL WAS NEVER TOUCHED BY HAND. ONLY GAMES SUCH AS FOOTBALL, HAND AND FOOTBALL, BALL TOSSING AN JUGGLING COULD USE BALLS. THEY DID NOT EAT RABBIT BEFORE PLAYING A GAME.

SHINNEY IS A BALL GAME THAT MANY INDIAN'S HAVE PLAYED. IT'S PLAYED WITH A STICK AND A BAT AND A BALL OF LEATHER. WOMEN AND MEN PLAYED IT. THE GAME IS IN MANY NATIVE LEGENDS. THE CHEROKEES CALLED THE GAME LITTLE BROTHER OF WAR BECAUSE IT WAS GOOD TRAINING FOR BATTLE. IN CANADA THEY PLAYED IT TO CELEBRATE BATTLE. IN CANADA THEY PLAYED IT TO CELEBRATE THE CAPTURE OF A WHALE. IN THE SOUTHWEST THE BALL WAS A KNOT FROM A TREE TRUNK. THE INUITS OF ALASKA USED A BONE BALL!

THE BALL RACE IS AN ANCIENT GAME PLAYED IN CALIFORNIA, THE SOUTHWEST, AND MEXICO. IT WAS POPULAR AMONG THE ZUNI. BALLS WERE MADE OF STONE OR WOOD AND COVERED WITH GUM FROM CREOSOTE BUSH; THE HOPIS PLAYED BALL RACE GAME WITH CUBES OF HAIR PUT INTO BLOCKS WITH THE GUM OF PINON PINE. THE SIOUX USED A COLORFUL BEADED BALL. EACH OF TWO TEAMS KICKED THE BALL AROUND AS MANY TIMES AS SET BY THE LEADERS. THE PLAYERS RAN ALONG A TRACK LEADING TO A PARTICULAR GOAL. SOME SPECTATORS FOLLOWED ON HORSEBACK . SOME PLAYERS COULD KEEP THE OBJECT IN THE AIR ALMOST CONTINUOUSLY.

FOOTBALL WAS ALSO A POPULAR SPORT AMONG NATIVE AMERICANS. SOME TRIBES PLAYED IT ON HARD SNOW. INDIAN WOMEN ALSO PLAYED JACKS OR CARD GAMES TOGETHER. TWO KINDS OF GUESSING GAMES WERE PLAYED BY NORTH AMERICA INDIANS, AND BY MOST OTHER PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD. GUESSING GAMES AND DICE SOME OF THESE GAMES WERE PLAYED IN TEAMS. THE PAPAGO MADE STICK DICE SIMILAR TO POMO WOOD STICK GAMES.

HIDDEN BALL GAME - THE APACHES TELL THIS STORY..WHEN THE WORLD WAS YOUNG, IT WAS ALWAYS DARK. THE LIGHT CAME FROM TORCHES MADE OF THE PLUMES OF EAGLES. THE PEOPLE AND ANIMALS WANTED LIGHT BUT THE NIGHT ANIMALS LIKED IT AS IT WAS. THEY SETTLED THIS ISSUE BY PLAYING THE HIDDEN BALL GAME. MAGPIE AND QUAIL WHO LIKED LIGHT SPOTTED THE STICK UNDER WHICH THE GAMING PIECE WAS HIDDEN. THEY TOLD THE PEOPLE WHICH STICK TO CHOOSE. AS MORNING APPEARED BLACK BEAR WENT INTO HIS DEN. IN THE SECOND GAME THE PEOPLE WERE GUIDED BY MAGPIE AND QUAIL SO THAT THEY WON. THE SKY WAS LIGHT IN THE EAST AND THE BROWN BEAR RAN AWAY AND HID IN HIS DEN. THE THIRD TIME THE SKY GREW BRIGHT AND THE PANTHER SLIPPED INTO HIS DEN. THE FOURTH TIME THE PEOPLE WON AGAIN WITH HELP FROM MAGPIE AND QUAIL. THEN THE SUN ROSE AND LIT THE ENTIRE WORLD AND IT WAS DAY! THE OWL HID IN A TREE. AND SO IT WAS.

A BALL OR OBJECT IS HIDDEN IN A SPOT WHERE PLAYERS HAVE TO GUESS WHERE IT IS (SORT OF LIKE AN EASTER EGG HUNT). BUT IN THE GAME THEY ARE LOOKING FOR 1 OF 4 SIMILAR OBJECTS. IT WAS PLAYED BY PIONEERS TOO. INDIANS SOMETIMES HID A BEAN IN MOCCASINS OR BOOTS IN THE SAND TO FIND. SOMETIMES THESE GAMES WENT ON FOR DAYS.

MADELYN ANDERSON