Telegram-herald., 1890-02-16


- h.srvisioa II hE tr1bs Known - t1se
s-C,-.xfish OF Crsyftsh hand. -'OszE
u.-sule have among tiaeR had ~aso
forgssrly-but a. very remote p'ersSo
~ .nsoaity long before the SEPARATION
INTO Creeks or n As k0- go . s-ezniz1oasss
Chos-ta..s. 80. c.-hsd their abode IA tne
earth under the mud and so't plaoes
rear the rivers and streams, out Of which
thev sometimes come and ozsG ne The
sunshine. They were more Ike iooStef
or crayhsh than human beings, and
walked on al foars. or rather CA their
claws.
Their principal place q residence
was a areat limestone cave, far down IA
tbe bowels Of the earth. where there vas
no light. no<hing bat cimmerian dark
ness. aud they had no language, nor
could they understand q word that as
spoken 70 them.
The entrance % this cave vas posi-
Die only by wigglIng down through the
mud. and they used % scampeT away
the moment they were seen, 50 that the
Choctaws were for many generations
unable 10 get near them, although they
would law in wait for them for months.
"One day, however, a number OF them
were surprised 50 suddenly that they did
rot have time 20 60 their usual route
through the mud into their cave, hut
were forced into it 10y secret opening
they had in the rocks!
The Choctaws then attempted 10
smoke theln out. and az last, by persist
ent effort. succeeded. They treated them
kindly. taught them % talk Choctaw, 20
walk erect, made them cut OF their toe
nails and pull out the hair from Their
bodies. After which they adopted them
into the tribe, but the majority of them
are still under ground!'
Ball playing seems 70 be common
among all tribes, but il Is conceded that
the Choctaws, in their primitiveness,
were the most skilled in this game OF
course il is not at all similar 10 the Amer
lean national game in any particular,
and Is played with two bats or s;icks.
These sticks arc bent into an oval loop
al one end. with a web of fine buck
skin thongs stretched across them TO
prevent the ball from falling out when
caught or tossed. One Of these bats is
/ held in each hand, and the players catch
the ball by jumping into the air, and
/ throw it from the bats, never allowed 10
/ strike it or catch it with their hands. In
| every house / visited saw one or more
pairs of these peculiar bats, according to
/ the number of male residents.
In the primitive DAYS of these people,
/ il was an invariahle law of the game
/ that no player should wear moccasisn
on his feet, and appear only with the
prescribed dress: that Is, IN ms 'breeCh-
/ clout." a beautiful head belt, and tail
made of white horse hair or quilts, and
q name around his neck constructed OF
the same material as the tail, dyed il
cOlors.
The match was usually made uT
I months before the day agreed upon, and
led by two champions, or captains, Is
we should call them. These two cap
tains had the power 20 80 through TIA,
I tribe. from village to village, ami alter
nately choose the men for their re
spective sides. This choice Of player
was effected generally by proxy; two
runners were sent armed with a pair o.
"ball sticks" elaborately ornamenteC
with paint, ribbons and other gewgaws
which, touched by the players selected
VS. an evidence that they accepted, au'
would be on hand at the time specific
and prepared to take part.
Each set Of players erected on tn
ground where the game was to take plac
two upright poles about thirty feet high
and six feet apart, across the top Of whicl
another pole was fastened. These goals
or "byes,' as they were called, wer
some eight hundred feet apart; at
point lust half way between those goal
was driven a small stake, where the bal
was To be thrown into the air at a give
signal, usually the firing of q gun
All these preliminaries were arrange
by old men. who were the judges or um
pires of the game; they drew a lin
from one goal to the other, across whic
all the betting was made and placed /
the possession Of stake holders tn
night before the game commence
Everything conceivable that wigwam G
field possessed was staked, and prime
pally by the women of the tribe as be
tors.
On that night, too, all the players a
sembled around their respective "byes-
where. under the glow Of torches. ii
beating of "tom-toms" and the SONGS
the squaws. they for more than qua
ter of an hour INDUCED in the picu
esque Ball Play dance, in their props
dress. and rattling their sticks togetbc
ali the time chanting as loud as the
could. Meanwhile the women who Ia
ssaked their goods formed themselves
two rows on the zine" between the r
spective players and also danced. joi
ing in musical appeals to the "Gre.
! Spirit 10 decide the game IN favor
their side.
9 At the small stake. from which II
ball WAS u be thrown At tho opening
the game on the morrow, four old me
icine mon. who were 10 perform the a
Of throwing the ball. were busilv pui
ing az their pipes, smoking % the Gre
Spirit for success iu impsrtialiy Judgir
the game. as their duties Il umIsres 3
f, ma1ded.
Z Sometimes seven or eight hundrY
players took part in the game. and vh-
the contest commenced terrible ssru
gle ensued 70 catch the hall on IN
n sticks ard throw It home hctFecn tn
b. respective stakes. which counted osle.
81. 4 d L.