NATIVE AMERICAN TRADITIONAL GAMES Native American children today play soccer, basketball and softball; they play boards games and video games; but they also play games very like the ones their great-great-great-great grandmothers played. Long-ago Native American girls skipped rope, played their own version of Blind Man s Buff and tag, played games where they stole each other s places, and ring-a-round games. They ran foot races and played their own ball games, games only girls and women could play. Native Americans who lived in snowy parts of the country built snow forts, had snowball fights, and made toboggans. They also played tracking games in the snow. Certain games could only be played at certain times of the year; for example, in some places swings could only be made and used after all the leaves had fallen from a tree. The following games have been adapted to make them safer or less complicated for modern players Stalking the Drum You ll need: a blindfold for each person; something to use as a drum, and a drumstick This game increases balance and the senses of hearing and touch. Play in an open field with any number of players. Players are blindfolded and led off in different directions. Once everyone is situated, the game leader begins to
beat a drum every so often. Those who are blindfolded must listen to and follow the beat of the drum. Once a girl makes it to the drum, she takes off her blindfold and steps out of the way of the other players. Suggested rules: Stalkers shouldn t try to move too fast; a medium-speed walk is best. Have several judges watching out for the players. Drumbeats should get farther apart and softer as the players get closer. Firewood You ll need: four or five sticks and a blindfold for the fire-keeper. This circle game is best played with 5 to 10 players. It teaches the related skills of moving silently and listening closely. Players sit in a large circle on the ground, facing center. Once all players are seated, one person in the circle puts on a blindfold. Two to four sticks are placed in front of the blindfolded player, who is the fire-keeper. The firekeeper must guard the sticks as one anonymous player in the circle, (the game leader can tap that person on the shoulder, or point to her) the firetaker, tries to stalk toward the fire-keeper. The fire-taker tries to quietly take one piece of firewood at a time. The game ends either when the firetaker is touched by the fire-keeper; or when a stick is touched by the firekeeper as the wood is being taken; or when all of the wood is taken. Suggested rules: The fire-keeper must sit with legs crossed, remaining seated on the ground at all times. Try to use your senses more than your hands. Do not keep your hands on the firewood. The fire-keeper should listen closely and try to hear the fire-taker. The fire-taker must not grab the wood quickly. Take it as quietly as possible before the fire-keeper knows you are there. Observers must be as quiet as possible. Talking or other noises throw the game off. Hop! Just like kids today, Native American children played many games that required no equipment at all. All Hop! requires is lots of open space, either outdoors or in a gym. About 4 to 16 can play at one time. 2
From just behind a straight line marked on the ground, Native American children played Hop! by hop-racing to another line marked on the ground 30 to 60 feet away. They used three ways of hopping: hop race on the right foot only; hop race on the left foot only; and hop race on both feet with the feet held close together. The game leader decides which will be used for each race. For older players, the games leader might decree hopping to the line one way and then back to the starting point another way. Modern leaders might set the game up as a relay. Bowl Catch The Indians of the Americas had many games of chance in which they tossed peach, plum or persimmon stones/pits (or teeth or bones or pottery discs, depending on the tribe) into the air from bowls or baskets. The pits or other objects were marked with numbers or designs to show what they were worth. The player would hold the bowl with both hands, toss six objects high into the air above the bowl, then try and catch as many as possible in the bowl. The total of the numbers of the objects that fell face-up into the bowl determined the score. This game was usually played only by women. To play this game you will need wooden salad bowls or any other light-weight bowl or container that is about 81/2 to 12 inches across the top and has a depth of about 4 or 5 inches. Instead of plum stones, girls can make a set of tossing discs by cutting six circles about 1 ½ inches in diameter from heavy cardboard, with numbers 1 to 6 marked on one side (the other side can be decorated if they like, or numbered 2, 4, 6, 0,0,0.) Or use smooth flat pebbles numbered with a Sharpie or other permanent marker. There are two ways to play the game: 1) Four to eight players sit in a circle with a blanket spread in the center. The game leader give the bowl containing the discs to any player, who is allowed one to three throws, as decided before the game begins. The player makes the throws by bringing the bowl up quickly from lap level and jerking it down again so the discs fly in the air. She must then try and catch as many of them as she can in the bowl, without changing her position. The score made on each throw is counted by the game leader, who totals all the discs that lie face up in the bowl. The bowl is passed clockwise around the circle until everyone has had a turn. 2) In this version, two bowls of the same size are needed. The game is played by pairs, and the two players sit directly opposite each other, about 4 feet apart. One player has the numbered discs in her bowl, and immediately after she calls Ready! she tossed the discs, with a sharp jerk of the bowl upward and forward, across to the player sitting 3
opposite to her. That player, without changing her sitting position, tries to catch as many discs as possible in her bowl. Only discs that fall into and bowl are counted. Each player can have two or three chances to throw the discs, and an equal number to catch them. The two players may compete against each other, or each pair may add their scores together and compete against the other pairs. Hidden Ball The Native American game of find the hidden ball was played in one form or the other throughout the Americas. Some tribes hid the small pebble or ball in a special container, some hid a bead in one of three moccasins, some played the game in other ways. Here is one variation for 4 to 10 players: A blanket or mat is folded in half, then spread on the floor or ground. Then the player chosen by the game leader hides the small ball, concealing it so the other players who sit in a fairly large circle around the blanket cannot tell which corner of the folded blanket the ball is hidden under. (A marble was be used, but is harder to detect.) The player who hides the ball can use all of the Native American techniques for distraction while she hides the ball: she can appear t hide it, with elaborate pantomime and strange sounds and gestures, under the first corner of the blanket or mat she comes to. Then she might carry on and appear to hide it with less fuss at the next corner. The guessers have to decide which corner? The game is best played when one guesser is chosen for all of the players, and announces where the majority of them think the ball is hidden. This confines the guessing to on guess, which makes for good play. Another way is to let each player guess in turn. The player who guesses correctly hides the next ball or marble. The first guesser in that round is the person who was sitting next to her. Toe Throw Stick This game can be played by individuals or by teams. The only equipment needed in a hardwood stick 2 inches long and about ¾ inches in diameter and a bare foot. (Can be played in sneakers but barefoot is better!) A line is marked on the ground and the player stands behind it with the stick balanced on her toes, of either foot. She kicks it upward with a swift, forceful jerky movement. The player wins whose stick travels the farthest. The point where the stick first strikes the ground decides the distance. The referee measures the distance made by each kick to make her decision. 4
In Native-American cultures, games were used for many reasons. Some games were used as a form of worship, some helped warriors train for war and some taught children important things like dances, but some were played just for the fun of it. Every Native-American tribe had its own special games, but some games were so popular that many tribes played them. One game played by many Native Americans is the double ball game. The Native Americans had a legend that the moon gave this game to Native-American women, and traditionally, it is played only by women, but anybody can play. The things that you need for the game are one double ball, enough sticks for each player, two teams with the same number of players and a way to tell the two teams apart. A double ball is actually two balls connected by a string. The sticks are used to sling the double ball during the game. The sticks should be around 32-inches long and rather light. When the Native Americans played this game, they had sticks with curved ends. Having a stick with a curved end helps to sling the double ball, but the game can be played with straight sticks, too. The Native Americans used to make double balls by connecting two stuffed pouches or pieces of wood together with braided leather that they sewed to the pouches. You can make a double ball by taking two tennis balls and tying them together with a thick, strong string. So that the double ball doesn t break, the string should be wrapped around the tennis ball several times and tied tightly. There should also be goals marked at either side of the field, one for each team. Ideally, the goals should be two poles with a cross bar across the top; something like a football field goal would work as well. The game should have an umpire or referee for the game. The rules of the game are simple. To start, each team lines up facing the other. The umpire will throw the double ball into the air, and the players try to catch the ball by hooking their 5
stick on the connecting strings. The players then pass the ball and try to score a goal by hooking the ball on the goal posts by the middle cord. If the player makes the goal, then that team gets four points. The other way to score points is not to let the ball touch the ground. The team that lets the ball fall loses one point, and the team that keeps the ball up all the way to the wicket gets two points. Playing these Native-American games is the perfect way to learn about a new culture. Native Americans have a rich history, and by playing their games, you can learn about how they lived a long time ago. These games are also a great way to stay active and have fun with friends. Playing in a public field could even allow you to make new friends. 5601 North Allen Road Mableton, GA 30126 770-702-9100/1-800-771-4046 www.gsgatl.org 2013 6