--- title: Indian Games — Wigwam stories told by North American Indians · full text with trees description: Indian Games, «Wigwam stories told by North American Indians» by Mary Catherine Judd: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: The Dakotas play their ball games in the hot moons of the summer and in the cold moons of the winter. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg73136/20/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [Wigwam stories told by North American…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg73136/) / Indian Games # Indian Games Indian Games of «Wigwam stories told by North American Indians» by Mary Catherine Judd: the whole text, 34 sentences and 608 words. The small number after every sentence leads to its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself. The Dakotas play their ball games in the hot moons of the summer and in the cold moons of the winter.[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics") The prairies give wide room for the games in summer, and the ice on the many lakes serves as winter ball grounds for them.[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics") Large spaces are needed, for there are many players.[3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") There is only one ball, but there are as many bats as players.[4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") The bats are about thirty inches long, with a loop at the lower end; this is laced across with deer sinew, to make a pocket in which the ball is caught and thrown.[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics") The center of the ball ground is chosen.[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") Stakes are set many feet away from the center, on opposite sides, as the bounds for the game.[7](7/ "tree and pragmatics") Two parties of equal numbers are chosen.[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics") Each party chooses its own leader or chief.[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") The chief of one side drops his ball into the pocket of his bat and tosses it toward the center ground between the stakes.[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics") Both sides rush toward the place where the ball may fall, each brave hoping he may be the lucky one to catch it; whoever gets the ball tosses it with his bat into the air toward his side of the grounds.[11](11/ "tree and pragmatics") Then the screaming, howling mob of players tears across the field to the place where the ball may fall again.[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics") The ball is thrown and contended for until one side succeeds in throwing it beyond the bounds of the opposite party.[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics") The prizes for the winning side have hung all this time on the prize pole; and dangling in the air, waiting the finish of the game, are the knives, tomahawks, blankets, moccasins, fine buffalo and deerskin robes which the winners will divide among themselves.[14](14/ "tree and pragmatics") Indian girls play the same game and with nearly as much vigor and skill as their brothers.[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics") Always, at these games, the old men and squaws sit or stand at the outside of the ball ground, a mass of interested spectators.[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") The ball game in some form, it seems, has been the national game on American soil since before American history began.[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") The plum-stone game was and is yet played by the northern Indian tribes.[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics") The Dakotas call it kansookootaype, which simply means “shooting plum-stones.”[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics") Each plum-stone is painted black on one side and red on the other side.[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics") The stones are also cut on one side to make them of different value according to the meaning of the marks cut.[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics") These black and red stones are put into a large shallow dish of clay or metal.[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics") The dish is struck against the nearest object with a sharp blow.[23](23/ "tree and pragmatics") The stones fall black or red side up, and the betting on the number of black or red stones makes the game.[24](24/ "tree and pragmatics") It is pure gambling.[25](25/ "tree and pragmatics") The prizes are valuable,—furs, clothing, food, everything goes in the excitement of the game.[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics") An Indian may be beggared in a minute.[27](27/ "tree and pragmatics") Father Hennepin describes the excitement of the game in his Descriptions of Louisiana, published in Paris in 1683.[28](28/ "tree and pragmatics") This book is a description of his travels at that time in the valley of the Mississippi to the Falls of St. Anthony and beyond.[29](29/ "tree and pragmatics") Father Hennepin said:[30](30/ "tree and pragmatics") “There are some so given to the game that they will gamble away even their greatcoat.[31](31/ "tree and pragmatics") Those who conduct the game scream at the top of their voices when they rattle the platter; and they strike their shoulders so hard as to make themselves black and blue with the blow.”[32](32/ "tree and pragmatics") The Indian boys have their pony races and running matches.[33](33/ "tree and pragmatics") They play much like white boys, but with more cruelty.[34](34/ "tree and pragmatics") - ← previous: [Dakota or Sioux](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg73136/19/) - next →: [Sioux and Chippewas of Minnesota](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg73136/21/) - ↑ back to [Wigwam stories told by North American Indians](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg73136/)