Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1851-12-24
MIS- SCELLA A n EO u S.
INDIAN PASTIMES.
BY GEORGE CONWAY.

] believe all the Indian nations Of this
continent have amuSements among them
Those of the Prairie nations are different
'front.' those Of Oh jbwavs, suitable 10 their wide,
open fields The PLAYS am abou, to de-
scribe are the principal games practlsed by
the people of my nation. There are Others;
and chance games are considerably in vogue
among them.
Que Of The most popular games is that Of
ball playing, which oIlen,Imes engages an
en,lre village. Parties are formed of from
ten TO several hundred. Before they com
mence, those who are 10 take part IN the
plav must provide each his share Of taking,
or things which are set apart, and one leader
for each party. Each leader then appoints
one of each company 10 he slake- holder.
Each man and each woman women some
times engage in the sporty is armed with
stick, one end Of which bends somewha.
like small hoop, about four inches in cir
cumference, to which Is attached network
of rs hide, two inches deep, jus, large e.
unuyh To admit the ball which Is 10 be used
on The occasion. Two poles are driven in
The ground at distance Of four hundred
PAGES from each other, which serve as goals
for the two parties. 1t is the endeavor Of
each TO take The ball to his pole. The par
lv which carries The ball and strikes lis pole
wins the game.
The warriors, very scantlly attlred, young
and brave fan'as'icaIy psin;ed-and women.
decorated with feathers, assemble around
their commanders, who are generally men
swift on The race. They are to take The
ball either by running with il o, throw ing
it in the air. As the ball falls ia the crowd
the excitement begins. The clubs swing
and roll from side to side, the players run
and shout, fall upon end tread upon each
other. and in the struggle some gel rather
rough treatment.
When the ball is thrown to some distance
on eacI, side, the party standing near IN
stantly picks It up, aud runs at full speed
with three or four after him at full speed.
The Others send their shouts of encourage
menl Ii their own party. "Ha ha yah -
"A-ne-gcnk 20 and these shouts are heard,
even from the distant lodges, for children
and all are interested in the exciting scene
The spoils are no, all on which their ine-
and rolling of The crowds over and under
each other. The loud and merry shouts of
The spectators, who crowd The doors Of the
wigmams, 90 forth in one continued peal,
and testify to their happy stale of feeling.
II is very seldom, if ever, tina. one is seen
to be angry because he has been hurt. II
he should gel so, they would call him a
i"coward," which proves sufficient check
to many evils which might result from ma
ny seemingly intended injuries.
While was in La-pon,, Lake Superior,
in the summer of 1886, when The interior
band of Cbippewavs, with those Of Sandy
Lake, Lac Coun,erviIIe, Lac De Frambou,
encamped in The island, The interior bands
proposed To play against the Lake Indians.
As it would be thought "a cowardIv act to
refuse, the Lake Indians were ready at an
early hour the next day, when about ,w D
hundred and fifty of The bes. and swi(lesl
feet assembled on level green, opposite The
house Of the Rev. Mr.. Hall.
On our side was a lhicket Of thorns ;
on the other, the lake shore, with sandy
beach of half mile. Every kind of busi-
ness was suspended, no. only by The Indians,
bu, bv the whites of all classes.
There were but two rivals in this group
Of PLAYERS. One Of these was small maj,
from Cedar Lake, on the Chippewav River,
whose name was ''.Nai-nah-aun gaib," (ad.
jus,ed fea,hers,) who admitted no rival in
bravery, daring, or adventure making the
contest more Interesting. The name Of the
other competitor was" ".Mah'koonce," young
bear,) Of The shore-bands.
The first, as said before, was a small
man. His body was model for sculpture :;
well proporlioned. His hands and fee. ia
pered with all the grace and delicacy Of a
Iady's. His long black hair flowed care
lessly upon his shoulders. On the top of
his raven locks, waved in profusion, seven
teen signals with their pointed fngers) Of