Indian Games and Dances with Native Songs written by Alice C. Fletcher

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In a game where the two sides contest, as in a ball game, the sides were
frequently played by two different tribes or by two villages in the same
tribe. In such cases the players often went through a course of training in
order to prepare them for the contest. Bathing, exercise and diet had to be
followed according to prescribed custom. Among the Cherokee the partaking
of rabbit was forbidden, because the animal is "timid, easily alarmed and
liable to lose its wits"; so if the player ate of this dish, he might
become infected with like characteristics. Mystic rites were sometimes
performed to prepare the player so that he would be successful. (Ibid.,
p. 575.)

According to the Indian belief, the pleasure of games was not restricted to
mankind but was enjoyed by birds and animals. The following story from the
Cherokee is told by Mr. James Mooney and quoted by Dr. Culin (Ibid., pp.
578, 579):

"The animals once challenged the birds to a great ball play. The wager was
accepted, the preliminaries were arranged, and at last the contestants
assembled at the appointed spot--the animals on the ground, while the birds
took position in the tree-tops to await the throwing up of the ball. On the
side of the animals were the bear, whose ponderous weight bore down all
opposition; the deer, who excelled all others in running; and the terrapin,
who was invulnerable to the stoutest blows. On the side of the birds were
the eagle, the hawk and the great Tlaniwa--all noted for their
swiftness and power of flight. While the latter were preening their
feathers and watching every motion of their adversaries below, they noticed
two small creatures, hardly larger than mice, climbing up the tree on which
was perched the leader of the birds. Finally they reached the top and
humbly asked the captain to be allowed to join in the game. The captain
looked at them a moment, and, seeing that they were four-footed, asked them
why they did not go to the animals where they properly belonged. The little
things explained that they had done so, but had been laughed at and
rejected on account of their diminutive size. On hearing their story the
bird captain was disposed to take pity on them, but there was one serious
difficulty in the way--how could they join the birds when they had no
wings? The eagle, the hawk and the rest now crowded around, and after some
discussion it was decided to try and make wings for the little fellows. But
how to do it! All at once, by a happy inspiration, one bethought himself of
the drum which was to be used in the dance. The head was made of ground-hog
leather, and perhaps a corner could be cut off and utilized for wings. No
sooner suggested than done. Two pieces of leather taken from the drumhead
were cut into shape and attached to the legs of one of the small animals,
and thus originated the bat. The ball was now tossed up and the bat was
told to catch it, and his expertness in dodging and circling about, keeping
the ball constantly in motion and never allowing it to fall to the ground,
soon convinced the birds that they had gained a most valuable ally. They
next turned their attention to the other little creature; and now behold a
worse difficulty! All their leather had been used in making wings for the
bat and there was no time to send for more. In this dilemma it was
suggested that perhaps wings might be made by stretching out the skin of
the animal itself. So two large birds seized him from opposite sides with
their strong bills, and by tugging and pulling at his fur for several
minutes succeeded in stretching the skin between the fore and hind feet
until at last the thing was done, and there was the flying squirrel. Then
the bird captain, to try him, threw up the ball, when the flying squirrel,
with a graceful bound, sprang off the limb and, catching it in his teeth,
carried it through the air to another tree-top a hundred feet away.

"When all was ready the game began, but at the very outset the flying
squirrel caught the ball and carried it up a tree, then threw it to the
birds, who kept it in the air for some time, when it dropped; but just
before it reached the ground the bat seized it, and by his dodging and
doubling kept it out of the way of even the swiftest of the animals until
he finally threw it in at the goal, and thus won the victory for the
birds."

Hazard Games

INTRODUCTORY NOTE.--The objects which are thrown or tossed in games of
hazard Dr. Culin for convenience has designated as "dice" and he calls the
games "dice games." (Ibid., pp. 44, 45.) He found these games among one
hundred and thirty tribes belonging to thirty different linguistic stocks.
Throughout this wide distribution the "dice" are not only of different
forms but are made from a variety of materials: split-cane; wooden or bone
staves or blocks; pottery; beaver or muskrat teeth; walnut shells;
persimmon, peach or plum stones. All the "dice" of whatever kind have the
two sides different in color, in marking, or in both. Those of the smaller
type are tossed in a basket or bowl. Those that are like long sticks,
similar to arrow shafts, from which they are primarily derived, were thrown
by hand. Myths of the Pueblo tribes speak of the game, in which "dice"
shaped like a shaft were used, as being played by the War Gods. The
split-cane "dice" were "sacrificed" on the altar sacred to the Gods of War.
In this connection it is interesting to find evidence that the "dice game"
of hazard was associated with the thought of war among tribes very
different, both in language and customs, from the Pueblo Indians. Among the
tribes living on the prairies the word used to indicate a "point" made in a
"dice game" is derived from the same root as the word used to indicate an
honor won on the field of battle.

Two examples of the class of games called "dice games" are here given: the
first a Pueblo game played almost exclusively by men; the second a game
found among the Omaha and kindred tribes and almost exclusively played by
women.

1

PA-TOL STICK GAME

_Properties_.--Three wooden billets; a flat stone about six inches in
diameter or square; forty stones about as "big as a fist" or like pieces of
wood; as many sticks for markers as there are players; counters to score
the game.

_Directions_.--The three billets, called pa-tol sticks, are made four and a
half inches long, one inch wide and half an inch in thickness; it is
important that the wood from which they are made be firm and hard. Two of
the billets are plain on one side, on the other side a diagonal line is
incised from the left-hand upper corner to a point about two inches below
the right-hand upper corner; another diagonal line is incised from the
right-hand lower corner to about two inches above the left-hand lower
corner. The third pa-tol stick has the same design on one side, and on the
other side the design is repeated and an additional diagonal line incised
from the right-hand upper corner to the left-hand lower corner. It would be
well to blacken all these incised lines in order that the designs can be
readily seen during the playing of the game.

[Illustration]

A circle, called the Pa-tol House, about three or four feet in diameter, is
made by setting forty stones "about the size of a fist" so as to form the
circumference. Between every tenth and eleventh stone there must be an
opening of four or five inches. These openings must face the north, east,
south and west; they are spoken of as "rivers." The flat stone is placed in
the middle of the circle.

Each player has a marker, a small stick or twig, which is called his
"horse." As many can take part in the game as conveniently can seat
themselves around the pa-tol house.

The following description of the game is given by Dr. Charles F. Lummis and
quoted by Dr. Culin (Ibid., pp. 191, 192): "When the players have seated
themselves, the first takes the pa-tol sticks tightly in his right hand,
lifts them about as high as his chin and, bringing them down with a smart
vertical thrust as if to harpoon the center stone, lets go of them when
they are within some six inches of it. The three sticks strike the stone as
one, hitting on their ends squarely, and, rebounding several inches, fall
back into the circle. The manner in which they fall decides the
denomination of the throw, and the different values are shown in the
diagram. Although at first flush this might seem to make it a game of
chance, nothing could be farther from the truth.... An expert pa-tol player
will throw the number he desires with almost unfailing certainty by his
arrangement of the sticks in his hand and the manner and force with which
he strikes them down. It is a dexterity which any one may acquire by
sufficient practice, and only thus. The five throw is deemed very much the
hardest of all, and I have certainly found it so. [See diagram.]

"According to the number of his throw the player moves his marker an equal
number of stones ahead on the circle, using one of the rivers as a starting
point. If the throw is five, for instance, he lays his horse between the
fourth and fifth stones and hands the pa-tol sticks to the next man. If his
throw be ten, however, as the first man's throw is very certain to be, it
lands his horse in the second river, and he has another throw. The second
man may make his starting point the same or another river, and may elect to
run his horse around the circle in the same direction that the first is
going or in the opposite. If in the same direction, he will do his best to
make a throw which will bring his horse into the same notch as that of the
first man, in which case the first man is killed and has to take his horse
back to the starting point, to try over again when he gets another turn. In
case the second man starts in the opposite direction--which he will not do
unless an expert player--he has to calculate with a good deal of skill for
the meeting, to kill and to avoid being killed by the first player. When he
starts in the same direction he is behind and runs no chance of being
killed, while he has just as good a chance to kill. But if, even then, a
high throw carries him ahead of the first man--for jumping does not count
either way, the only killing being when two horses come in the same
notch--his rear is in danger, and he will try to run on out of the way of
his pursuer as fast as possible. The more players the more complicated the
game, for each horse is threatened alike by foes that chase from behind and
charge from before, and the most skilful player is liable to be sent back
to the starting point several times before the game is finished, which is
as soon as one horse has made the complete circuit. Sometimes the players,
when very young or unskilled, agree there shall be no killing; but unless
there is an explicit arrangement to that effect, killing is understood, and
it adds greatly to the interest of the game."

II

PLUM STONE GAME

This game belongs to the second and non-ceremonial class of the games of
hazard and is generally played by women. The Omaha type is here given, but
it is similar to the game as played by kindred tribes.

_Properties_.--Five plum stones; a basket or wooden bowl; one hundred
counters. The Omaha used stalks of the blue joint grass as counters, but
small twigs or sticks will serve.

The plum stones should be carefully cleaned and dried. Two of the stones
are burned black on both sides with a hot iron; on one side of each of
these stones a crescent is marked, and between the lines of the figure the
black is carefully scraped so as to leave a clear design of a new moon on a
background of black. On the other side of these two stones a star, four or
five pointed, is drawn and all the black within the lines is scraped off,
leaving a brown star on a background of black. The other three stones are
each burned black all over on one side; the other side is left the natural
color of the stones. These stones can be prepared in camp, but the basket
or wooden bowl will probably have to be furnished from outside.

_Directions_.--Two players to one basket or bowl. The game is generally one
hundred points.

The two players sit opposite and have the basket or bowl between them, with
the five plum stones lying in the bottom. The one hundred counters are
within reach at one side. As points are made, the winner takes a
corresponding number of counters from the general pile and lays them beside
her on the side opposite to the general pile; when this is exhausted, then
the winner takes her counters from the winnings of her opponent. Whoever
wins all of the one hundred points has the game.

Lots should be drawn to decide who shall have the first play. The one who
wins the first play takes the bowl or basket by the rim with both hands and
gives it a toss sufficient to throw up all the stones, but not violent
enough to make them fall outside the bowl or basket; such a throw would not
count. If the throw is not such as to move all the stones, make them turn
and all move about within the bowl, that throw will not count.

The following are the combinations that count, that is, make points:

Two moons and three whites (natural color) = 10 points.

Two stars and three blacks = 10 points.

One moon, one star and three whites (natural color) = 1 point.

One moon, one star and three blacks = 1 point.

No other combinations count anything in the game. As will be seen, there
are a number which cannot be counted. If one tosses the bowl and the stones
fall in such manner as to make a combination that does not count, there is
no forfeit; the player merely fails to score any points. The player who
wins a point, or points, keeps on tossing the bowl until she fails to make
a point. She must then let her opponent toss the bowl, who will keep
tossing the bowl as long as she can win a point. There are players among
the Indian women who are very skilful and are able to make the stones fall
frequently in the combinations that win ten points.

Guessing Games

Introductory Note.--Games of the "subjective" class, designated as guessing
games by Dr. Culin, were generally accompanied by singing. There is a great
variety in the games of this class, and five examples drawn from different
sections of the country are here presented.

Indian games of this character do not always depend so much on chance as on
the quickness of vision and skilful manipulation by the players. In games
of this class the Indians never make random motions, all their movements,
whether of the body, the feet, the hands or arms, being always in strict
accord with the accompanying song, while the drama implied in the game is
acted out, at the same time, more or less clearly. In these games the
Indian players seem to be impelled by a common rhythmic and dramatic
impulse, making a unity that enhances the interest and pleasure excited by
the game.

I

Pu-in

Introductory Note.--This was a favorite game among the natives of the
Northeastern States; its "strange whimsies" were first mentioned by William
Wood in his book, "New England Prospect," published in London, 1634. It is
probable that some form of this game still persists among the scattered
descendants of those nearly extinct tribes, but it is not likely that at
the present day the victor would proclaim his prowess, as was formerly
done, by wearing in the holes of his ears the counters that marked the
number of his successful guesses.

_Properties_.--A number of wheat or other straws cut about a foot long; a
mat or blanket; a pointed staff for the Leader.

_Directions_.--Ten straws must be laid aside as counters for each player.
The rest of the straws are separated into tens and each ten tied with a
wisp, making a bundle; one bundle must have eleven straws. There should be
as many bundles as players. The bundles must all be tied alike. The game
consists in guessing which bundle has the eleven straws. The number of
guesses allowed in a game must be fixed upon before starting to play.

All the bundles are thrown in a heap upon the center of the mat. The
Leader, who is generally chosen by lot, leads the players to the mat
containing the bundles. Each player holds in his left hand his ten counters
and follows the Leader with his staff as he moves around the mat from left
to right, while all sing the following song, taking steps to the rhythm of
the music:

GAME SONG

[Music]

When the Leader strikes his staff on the ground every player must stop just
where he happens to be, stoop and pick up a bundle with his right hand and
begin to wave it above his head and sway his body to the time of the song.
When the Leader points with his staff to a player, that person must make a
guess. As he scans the waving bundles he points with his left hand that
holds his counters to the bundle which he thinks contains the eleven
straws. If the guess proves to be correct, the guesser puts one of his
counters in his hair or behind his ear. At once all bundles must be thrown
in a heap on the mat. The Leader then moves forward by the left, followed
by the players, every one singing and keeping time with the song. When the
Leader strikes the ground with his staff, all halt. Each player immediately
seizes a bundle, holds it aloft and begins to wave it. The Leader
designates with his staff a person who must guess. If the guess is wrong,
the guesser drops one of his counters on the mat and the Leader points to
another player who must guess. If he loses, he drops one of his counters on
the mat; the guessing goes on as described, until some one is successful
and puts a counter in his hair, when the bundles are all thrown on the mat
and the play begins again as before. Should the person designated by the
Leader to guess think that he holds the bundle with eleven straws, he must
point it at the Leader. If this surmise is correct, the person guessing
puts a counter in his hair and all bundles are again thrown on the mat.

In this way the game proceeds until some player has won the requisite
number of counters and has them all standing in his hair. Throughout the
game the singing must be kept up, accompanied by rhythmic movements of the
feet and the body, the players acting as though searching among the tall
grass for a desired clump. When a point is won, the Leader should shout out
the counter won, without interrupting the song or the play. Among the
Indians the game, once started, is kept going without halt or break in the
song or the movements. The calling out of the winnings in no way disturbs
the singing or the playing.

The victor should wear his successful counters in his hair the rest of the
day, if possible.

II

Ata-a-kut

Introductory Note.--This game is played among one of the basket making
tribes of California. As not infrequently occurs in Indian games, there is
in this pastime a reflection both of the environment and of the vocations
of the people who used it. The drama or theme of the play is the search for
a particular reed, which for the purpose of the game is marked in a special
way.

_Properties_.--A mat or blanket and about fifty reeds; the reeds should be
similar in thickness and about a foot long.

_Directions_.--The number of points which shall constitute winning the game
should first be agreed upon; if ten be the number, then twenty reeds should
be set aside as counters and the rest used as game-reeds. All of these
latter must be alike save one, and that reed must have a black band about
an inch or so wide painted around the middle, that is, midway between the
two ends of the reed. It is this particular reed that must be detected or
its location guessed.

The mat or blanket should be laid east and west. The two players sit
opposite each other, one near the northern edge of the mat, the other near
the southern edge. The counters are divided in half, one-half put at the
eastern end of the mat, the other half at the western. The counters at the
east belong to the player sitting at the north, those at the west to the
player at the south. Two singers stand back of each player. The spectators
are grouped about the mat, but must not be too near the players. Lots are
drawn to decide which player shall "hold the reeds." The player who loses
the chance to "hold the reeds" becomes the one who is to be the guesser.

All the game-reeds, including the reed with the black band painted on it,
are thrown in a pile in the center of the mat or blanket. The player who is
to "hold the reeds" gathers all the game-reeds in his hands, brings them
behind his back, where he shuffles and divides the reeds into two bunches,
one for each hand. When he is ready to bring his hands forward, each one
with a bunch of reeds grasped by the middle, the two singers standing
behind him start the following song:

GAME SONG

[Music]

When the music begins, the player holding the reeds sways his body from
side to side, moves his arms and hands with the reeds and simulates being
blown by the winds. The opposite player, by the movements of body and arms,
indicates that he is pushing his way through tall reeds tossed by the wind,
searching for something he desires to find. Both players in all their
movements must keep in rhythm of the song, observe strict time and strive
to make their actions tell the story plainly. The guesser through all his
motions must keep his eyes on the bunches held by his opponent, seeking for
an indication to show which one contains the marked reed. When he is ready
to guess he extends both arms toward the bunch he has fixed upon, as if to
grasp it. At this action the holder of the reeds must open his hand and let
the reeds of that bundle fall on the mat. The guesser then searches among
the spilled reeds for the one that is marked; if he finds it, he holds it
up so that all can see that his guess has been correct and the reed
discovered. The two singers who stand behind him give the victory shout, go
to his pile of counters, take one and place it at his right hand, then the
reeds of the other bunch are thrown by the holder on the mat, so that all
the game-reeds are lying in the center, as at the beginning of the game.

The player who made the successful guess now picks up the game-reeds and
behind his back shuffles and divides them. When he is ready to bring
forward his two hands holding the reeds, the two singers standing behind
him begin the Game Song, while he waves the bunches, acting what is now his
role, that of the reeds being blown about by the winds. The other player
now becomes the guesser and must act as though he were searching among the
blown reeds for the one he desires.

The player who "holds the reeds" is thought to have the advantage; that is
why lots are drawn at the beginning to decide who shall have that part in
the game. The player holding the reeds aims to make the guessing as
difficult as possible by deftness in hiding the banded reed, so as to keep
his advantage.

Every time a guess is made the reeds of the bunch guessed must at once be
dropped on the mat, that all may see the reeds while the guesser searches
among them for the marked reed. If he cannot find it, the singers who stand
behind him call out that a point has been lost, take a counter from his
pile and place it at the right hand of the player holding the reeds, who at
once drops all the game-reeds on the middle of the mat, to be again taken
up by him, shuffled and divided behind his back, when he resumes the waving
of the bunches of reeds blown by the wind and the guesser who lost starts
to make another guess. Should he be successful, the counter he had lost
would be taken back and placed at his right hand. In this manner counters
lost can be reclaimed, until one or the other of the players has won and
been able to hold the number of counters required for the game.

The presentation of the little drama of this game rhythmically affords an
opportunity for considerable dramatic action and yields pleasure both to
the performers and to the spectators. This game was much played among the
tribes where it was known.

III

HAND GAME

INTRODUCTORY NOTE.--This game, Dr. Culin states, is played among eighty-one
Indian tribes of the United States. The game bears different names in the
various languages of these tribes. Hand Game is a descriptive term and not
a translation of any native name; it refers to the fact that the object is
held in the hand during the play. The following form of this game is the
way it was formerly played among the Nez Perce Indians of the State of
Idaho. Lewis and Clark, who were the first white men to record their
meeting with these Indians, mention this game, and Capt. Bonneville gives
an account of it when he visited the tribe during the third decade of the
last century.

_Properties_.--A bone or wooden bead about two inches in length and half an
inch in thickness; thirty counting sticks (these are sometimes spoken of as
arrows, and there are indications that they were once arrows--the arrows of
the twin gods); a mat oblong in shape; two logs or pieces of board about
the length of the mat, and as many sticks (to be used as drum-sticks) as
players can sit on one side of the mat.

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