Various Games Played

   The hoof-and-pin game below consists of six deer foot bones with hollowed out tops.  There are two bones in each hoof, the smaller one at the bottom of those strung together with a buckskin thong, allowing bones to slide.  The skewer is a section of the shin bone of a deer so as to be long and narrow to catch the side hole of a bone.

   To play this game, which usually consisted of a bet, the bones were held with the left hand at the right elbow and the skewer in the right hand.  Simultaneously as the bones are released, the right hand is swung slightly upward to toss the bones.  Then as the bones descend, the skewer is thrust to catch the center hole of the first bone.  If  successful, this captured bone is held in the right hand with the skewer and again the left hand holding the bones is released while the right hand moves upward to swing the bones to skewer the next bone.  If successful, this bone is held in the hand with the skewer and again the next bone is attempted to be captured.  If there is a miss at any time, the opponent has a turn to hook his bones in order, beginning with the top bone.  Whenever the opponent misses, the first person tries again from where he left off.  The game continues until someone has caught all six bones in order.  Score is kept with usually 5 points for the center hole.  Some bone sets have side holes and these are worth 10 points each, since these are harder to hook.  It is possible to skewer beaded loops at the bottom, worth one point per loop.

Hoof-and-pin game

Hoof-and-pin game

   The moccasin game piece usually uses a bone about 2 inches long, however the one shown is made from pipestone, or Catlinite.  To play, a pair of moccasins are used moving the game piece back and forth from one moccasin to the other.  He or she may use one or both hands to hide the piece.  When ready, the opposite team points to the moccasin which is believed to hold the game item.  If correctly guessed, the opposition gets a try and each point is tallied using small sticks.  There are variations to the games, but each team must agree on the rules to follow.

Moccasin hiding game

Moccasin hiding game

   The hoop and arrow game was used to teach skills needed for hunting or warfare.  One person would roll the webbed hoop, perhaps standing thirty feet in front of the archer.  As the hoop rolled, the archer attempted to shoot the target arrow through the middle, as shown in the picture.  Some lesser points counted for catching any part of the webbing.  This hoop was used by the early Cheyenne Indians.  Target arrows were used since a hunting arrow would cut through the lacing and eventually ruin the webbing.  A heavier hoop was also used for spear throwing.

Hoop and arrow game

Hoop and arrow game

   The bone dice game has 23 tally sticks of willow to record the score.  There are 16 rib bones marked with red, blue, yellow and green earth colors.  The patterns for decorations consists of cross-hatches, horizontal or vertical lines.  The pictures show both sides of bones and fungus pattern of the burl bowl.  Such burl bowls were preferred because they did not split with age, as did wooden bowls.

   To play this game, the bones are tossed out on the ground from the bowl.  Score is counted by the number of dots. The sticks kept track of the count.  Another form of this game used plum seeds with an animal depicted on one side and dots on the other.

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