For those who might think that blood is freely flowing at such occasions, a duel is shot out with blanks, on balloons suspended six to ten feet away. During our national council, as well as in smaller camps, every group has its own specific games and contests. As mentioned above, our cowboys have their duels, but also whip cracking, lasso and knife throwing, and horse races of different kinds. Indianists throw the hawk and shoot their bows, have dance contests, and many different ceremonies. The women can have a bread baking contest or water carrying race.
Battles can also be of a sportive nature.
May. It pitted six Indians against six mountainmen and cowboys, each one with a nice heavy stick. There were no field limits and no playing rules to speak of, so pots and pans went flying every time the excited players crashed through someone's kitchen. The Indians lost by 6 to 1. Maybe the fact that they played barefoot on the grass and the whites were all in boots or heavy shoes had something to do with it it certainly accounted for a lot of bruised ankles and feet. I have not been, but have heard great tales about the French National Rendezvous.