TRADITIONAL GAMES HISTORY

Time Period:

These games were found through oral traditions, ethnology reports written before 1900 A.D., or written descriptions from the early 1900's.
 
These games have been researched and accepted by many tribes over the past 12 years. *Blackfeet, Salish, Kootenai, Chippewea, Cree, Sioux, White Clay, Little Shell, Pend d'Oreille, and tribes of Southern Alberta. Reference to several of these tribes are present in Clark's journals.
 
In 1999, the International Traditional Games Society was formed by cultural directors and tribal college presidents.

Each summer more tribes bring their games to teach others at the traditional games summer camp. People participate at camp. much in the way games were shared and la ed during the old summer gatherings of bands and clans two hundred years ago.
 
TRADITIONAL AMERICAN INDIAN GAMES

Many children and adults are losing their abilities of keen observation and natural intuition. Perhaps these skills are just as important in the world today as they were in the natural environment of two hundred years ago. The games presented here for approval are some of the old games that teach these skills.

Health and fitness opportunities are not always available, and then mostly to youth in schools. Long ago the native games were still played by adults in their forty's and fifty's.

Native American life, two hundred years ago, was rich in relationships, teamwork, art, music, dance and gaming. It was through games that much education occurred.

The social values of the traditional games were...and still are...highly important:

• Honoring the person who gave you the most challenge,
• Respecting the rules of the competition,
• Respecting your competitors,
• Honoring the wager you made before the event,
• Having courage, intuition, or skill,
• Being humble even when winning.

Years ago, all tribes admired persons of superior skills, in strength, stamina, or dexterity because the games helped keep all the people healthy and strong. The games were the way of passing on techniques of the hunt, tribal customs, spiritual ways, social skill.

Most important, were the games of intuition and chance, played by all ages, with the elderly being the best. Even the youngest learned observation, sensing, and intuitive skills to increase awareness of their surroundings. Safety of everyone often depended upon intuition or extraordinary visioning.

The young and the strong competed against each other with the help of older tribal members who coached them. Cooperation was the essence of all sports. The best players held a traditional place of honor in the communities. Almost everyone played the games depending on the age and type of activity. Young people played the most rigorous games of strength and endurance. The elders advised the young how to be good at the skills they were trying to learn. The elders also played their own games of intuition and chance. The players of these games always got better with age.

Everyone was encouraged to participate in the spirit of the games. Prayers in which players asked for power and reward for their efforts were an important part of the gaming ways.

Sometimes the clans and tribes would gather for days, fasting, praying, and playing the most exciting games. Many goods were exchanged in the bets for winning and losing in the adult's competitions. The children also wagered for the games they played but this was not as common as the adult wagers.

The most important aspect of all games was the development of the natural physical and mental skills of the people. This was highly integrated into the spiritual beliefs as well, combining the efforts of mind, body and spirit. Prayers by all members helped the players to give their best to the competitions.
 
TRADITIONAL AMERICAN INDIAN GAMES ROLE TODAY

When modern people go to summer culture activities such as pow wows, horse events, or Sun Dances, the youth get restless. They want basketball courts, fancy equipment, or game-boy devices. Yet everything they need to play outdoors in the summer is provided by nature. The equipment can easily made and the games can be played anywhere.

The following eight games have been selected to be submitted for approval because of the educational and skill enhancement value, social skills development, availability of materials and ease of making the games so that today's youth/adults may learn to utilize and respect natural resources in their everyday life, and past popularity of the games. Games are available in sets of 8 individual games:

SET ONE

(1) RING THE STICK - A hoop of any size was tied to a length of rawhide or sinew and attached to a stick. The hoop was swung upward and as it came down, the player tried to put the end of the stick through the hoop. The ring had to start from a position flat on the ground before being thrown up into the air. In competition with each other, the players took turns and the player getting the most rings out of an agreed number of turns was the winner. Generally the hoop size was made according to the age of the players with a large hoop made for the youngest and a smaller hoop and longer stick made for older children and adults. This was mainly a social game played for fun but develops coordination and motor skills.

Each game comes in a bag with two Stick and Rings. The Stick and Ring are sized according to age and ability. Designate ages 2-5, 6-11 or 12 thru adult.

Sticks are hand carved decorated with leather, sinew, beads. Bags are fleece.
 

(2) RUN AND SCREAM - The children would start running sucking in a big breath of air, then at a designated mark on the ground, they would start screaming while they were running. When the scream was finished, the spot was marked with each persons own marker stick (4 to 6 inch long peg sharpened to go into the ground). The children would try to pass the other marks. The one who could run the farthest while screaming was the winner. Traditionally for girls who were too old for dolls and too young for adult games, but can be played by all ages of children. A game of dexterity, st~mjna, speed, and skill

Each games comes with four hand carved pegs decorated with ribbons, feathers and beads in a fleece bag.


(3) MAKE THE STICK JUMP - A favorite game of Blackfeet boys, but can be played by anyone. It was a game of throwing accuracy designed to improve the boys' ability to kill small game birds or rabbits. A stick of 6 to 8 inches was carved and decorated with feathers by young boys of the Tribe. The boys would place their sticks at different distances from a line. Numbers or points were awarded to each stick with the closest stick having the smallest score and the farthest stick given the highest score. The boys would stand behind a line then throw a set number of rocks at the sticks. If a rock hit a stick directly, it would make the stick jump and the points for that stick were awarded. The sticks could be laced on the ground or stuck into the ground so one end would stand up. Both methods were used.

Each game comes with four hand carved pegs decorated with ribbons, feathers and beads, 4 throwing stones (outdoor game) and 4 throwing bags (indoor game) in a fleece bag.


(4) GUESSING THE STICK  - "How many sticks" was a guessing game to test perception, intuition, and observation. It was played quietly by the children as the adults played their hand games. Any number of small straight sticks were gathered (at least 20) and put into a bundle to be held by one person. The bundle was divided and held in each hand then quickly shown to two other players who looked at the bundles before they were hidden or guessed. The object of the game was to estimate how many sticks were in each bundle. The one whose guess was exactly right was the winner. The winner of the guess is given one of the counting pegs. The winner of the game is when one person accumulates all three counting pegs. A GAME FOR ALL AGES

Each game comes with a bundle of approximately 20 sticks, tied in leather, 3 counting pegs hand carved and decorated with ribbons, beads and feathers, contained in a fleece bag.


(5) STONE PEOPLE GAME - The object of the game is pattern observation for all ages. You need one observer and one player for each game. The observer sets the 3 stones up at the fIrst station (the stone people's house). The player must pay very close attention to how the stones are placed on a cloth. The player's job is to gently, but quickly carry the stones one at a time to the second station (lodge or house) replacing them exactly how they were originally placed.

The Stones are from a Montana mountain stream. Stories are held in stones and bones. The stones are hand painted and inscribed with ancient pictographs. Pictographs are on one side of each of the three stones with a word on the other. The stones come in a fleece bag.


(6) STICKS IN THE FIST - This game of pure intuition and chance is played with ten sticks, cut to fit in a fist.  One stick is marked on the bottom.  This game of probability encourages the player to "sense" the stick which is marked and to draw as many unmarked sticks as possible before drawing the marked stick.  Drawing nine unmarked sticks with the marked as last draw,is the highest honor.  Playing with the set of sticks more than once, gives the player a greater chance of using "observation" instead of "sensing" to win the game.   Both skills are admired.

The game comes with ten sticks, a tie cloth, and a fleece bag.


(7) KICKBALLS - All tribes in North America had some type of kickballs used for racing, hacky sack (footbag) types of games, and slingball types of games.  Modern Native youth adopted the Zuni and Tewa style of kickbag because, when racing over the prairie, the ball often would go down a ground squirrel hole.  The tail on the ball assures a safer way of getting it back out of the hole.  Kickball races are won by the person whose ball and body cross the finish line first.

The game has four modern decorated kickballs in a fleece bag.

 
(8) GATHERING STONES - Small stones were used much like the "Jacks" of European children. One larger rock would be used as the tossing rock. That rock would be tossed into the air, then the same hand would gather an agreed number of other smaller stones into the same hand before catching the tossed rock. A miss would occur if the tossed rock hit the ground before being caught. The object of the game would be to gather as many small rocks as possible before catching the tossed rock. Rules varied between bands of the Blackfeet, Bloods and Peigans. A game of dexterity and skill.

Comes with several hand painted small river gathering stones and a larger tossing stone inscribed with ancient pictographs on each side. A card describing ancient pictographs which may or may not be on your stone. Packaged in a fleece carrying bag.

SET TWO
Available soon - includes this partial list:

(9) BULLROARER - This artifact was used by the children to make noise similar to the wind. It was usually made from a stick 18 inches to two feet in length. A piece of sinew or string-like strip of hide was attached to the stick. The sinew, a bit longer than the length of wood, was attached through a hard section of rawhide or wood approximately 2 by 4 inches. The stick was held high over the head, and the child makes a twirling motion with the string and wood. The flat hide or wood made a noise like the wind blowing. Some tribes believed the Bullroarers caused high winds and didn't allow the children to play with them. However, the Blackfeet children enjoyed freedom to play with the toy because the wind was always a part of their daily lives.

Sticks are hand carved decorated with leather, sinew and beads. The Roarer is rawhide with ancient pictograph of the "Wind" inscribed on it. Bags are fleece decorated with beads, ribbons, leather and bone or horsehair.
 

(10) BUZZERS  -  An antler piece, or small stick, or piece of bone was strung through with a piece of hide, which, when twirled then pulled at both ends, caused the item to spin fast, making an insect-like noise.

Our Buzzers are of cut bone, sinew and willow stick. The carrying bags are fleece decorated in leather, beads, and feather, bone or horsetail. One buzzer per bag.

TRADITIONAL INDIAN GAMES PRODUCTION

These games are all hand made - the games are handmade by artisans from varies Montana tribes for the Traditional Games Society.

The sticks, rings and pegs are willow. Each is unique to the characteristics of the wood from "Grandfather" sticks to young green sticks. Artificial sinew is used for wrapping and string.
 
Rocks are gathered from Montana mountain streams. They are hand painted with Indian pictographs each of its own message.
 
Sticks are uniquely rough hand carved in ancient Indian symbols.
 
Adornments on game pieces and fleece carrying pouches are of dyed split hides, bleached bones, sticks, ribbons and beads. Game pieces and pouches vary and are adorned with one or more decorations.