Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-04-03
INDIAN GAMBLING AND Sports

EDITOR PosT LIIeEScrn.
The Puget Sound Indians have three
modes OF Dative gambling:
l. With roand disks. These are about
two inches in diameter and third of
An inch thick. They are made Of hard
wood. quite smooth, and by long con-
tnued use become highly polished. The
edge OF most of them is partly painted.
either red or black, while one is left an
painted. or else the edge is entirely
painted. There are ten blocks or disks
In 4 set.
Cedar bark Is beaten up fine and the
disks are divided into handsful of five
each, and each handful is then placed
under some of this cedar bark on a mat.
while the players face each other. But
two persons engage at the same time in
shufiiing the disks, though others are
generally around and bet on it, and one
OF them occasionally changes with one
Of the PLAYERS, if his friend should be
unlucky. A number of small sticks
about four inches long are placed on
board foe tally. At first they are
evenly divided, but are changed as one
arty wins or loses. The object is for
one party or person to win them all
Usually from twelve to twenty four of
these sticks are used: the numuer used
depending Oh the amount of the bet
As one party may win and lose, and con-
tlnue to do so, it Is plain that the game
may last long time.
When all is ready for game, the par
ties SIT down on the ground about twelve
feet from each other, and one selects
one out of his half dozen or more sets
AID shuffles them around cOnslderabl, ::
then, under cover, divides them evenly
50 that five are in each hand and plac $
each handful under some OF this cedar
bark. They are then shufiled around on
the mats for time. the opposite player
watching all this as closely as possible.
II s wish Is to guess under which hand
the disk is which has the painted run or
the unpalnted one. With a motion of
bis hand he indicates under which hand
he thinks this one to be, and the player
rolls them out. If he guesses arlght he
WINS and plays next; but If be guesses
wrong he loses, and the other plays
again. They have several sets of these
blocks. SO that, if bad luck attends one
SET for "A time, they may change to and
use another set.
They have a tradition that long time
ago a great supernatural being called
Do-ki batl came here and told them tO
give up all bad habits; these disks being
among the things that they were to give
up. He to k the disks and threw them
into the water, but they came back; he
then took them and threw them into the
fire, but they came out; he threw them
away as far AS he could, ut again they
Came back; and 80 he threw them away
i've times, and every time they returned;
and 80, as they conquered him, he told
the Indians that they might retain this
kind of gambling for fun and sport.
Sometimes they play merely for sport,
but usually they do pot see much fun in
it unless there IS at least sOmetAing bet,
though it may be only dinner. At
times they have bet three or four hun
dred dollars, and whole tribe engage
III it, or even two tribes, one against the
other. In these large games they bring
in their drums and pound on them and
holloa. This is done as u tamahnous, In
order to obtain the assistance of their
tamahnOus or guardian spirit.
2. Game with bones. small bone
about two inches long and half inch
IN diameter Ii used, or sometimes two
of them, one of which Is marked. They
alse at times use two much larger ones,
tive and a half inches long and an inch
or more in diameter, one OF which Is
marked. Occasionally also pieces of
wood of the same size are used, but they
are considered poor affair.
Six or eight persons on each side asu-
ally play this game, but more may be
really engaged in 1t on the outside, and
even the whole tribe. as IN the previous
game. The drum and the tamahnous
are also occasionally used. In front of
each set of players Is long STICK or rail-,
and each of them except one have small
sticks about "a foot and half long, with
which, whlie the one on their side ID
playing, they pound on the rail, singing
at the same tune to induce good luck.
The one who has NO stick III his nands
takes the bone or bones IN his hands,
under cover either of blanket or some
such thing. arranges which shall be IN
each hand, if both are used, or III which
hand 1t shall be- If one Is used. and then
ia sight very rapidly changes them from
hand to hand. This is done so quickly,
by long practise, that the bones cannot
be seen. After time one of the oppO-
site players by q motion indicates IN
which hand he thinks the bone il. If one
is used. or, If two are used, in which
hand tue marked one is. Ii he guesses
Alright, he WINS and plays: if not. he
leses and the other one continues to play.
When he wins, the other party stop their
noise and singing and his party take 1t
up. Sometimes, it is said, a person will
become so expert that, II his opponent
euesses Alright, he will change them with
out being seen.
The tally is k. pit with sharpened sticks
about foot long, which are stuck into
the ground, but on the same prlnciple
as In the previous game. l have known
a game to be played fer four days and
nights, and neither party to win, 1t be-
ing a draw game. If one person on a
side is peculiarly successful, he will play
for long time; but if he is very unsuc-
cessful, another of his party Will take
the bones.
3. The women's game. Beavers teeth
are usually used for this, though some
times those of muskrats. Commonly
only one person on each side plays, but
sometimes there are two or three. The
teeth are marked on one side so rs to
form two pairs of two each, one OF
them having a string tieu around it.
They are all taken IN one band and
thrown up, and the manner in which
being somewhat on the principle OF
throwing dice. If the marked side OF
the one which has the string on it Is
down and all the rest up or up while
the rest are down, it cornts four; If
that side of all is up or down, it counts
two. II the marked side Of one pair is
up. and that of the other pair down, 1t
counts two; and if the pair one OF which
has the string on it is up or down and
the other pair is divided, it counts no.
thing. To get thirty is game, but gen
orally they play three games and bet
money, dresses. cloth md the like. The
women sometimes learn to throw them
very expertly, although quickly. by hold
ing the one with the string on 1t trifie
longer than the others, and then give 1t
a peculiar turn so as to make it fall diff
ferently from them.
They usually keep tally with small
sticks about four inches long, but, II
they can, they use the bones Of birds OF
about the same length. But the women
play this game very little, Is compared
with the time devoted by the men to the
other games. They have too much TO
do; having work at basket and mat
Soc n.