San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-09-22
Cbe Daily Iigbt.
AN INDIAN BALL GAME.

in Eastern Mississippi, it occurred
to me an account Of a game Of bal
played by Indians, would be new
and interesting to your readers
The Choctaws owned and possessed
half OF the territory embraced in
the State of Alabama and two.
thirds of the territory comprised
in the State Of Mississippi. They
had three chiefs, each with a dis
trict assigned to him, and all equal
in authority except that the Oldest
chief was looked on as the head
chief.
When the Choctaws were re-
moved across the Mississippi in
1882, at least 10000 of them refused
to migrate with their tribe, and re-
NAMED on the tracts of land
assigned to the chiefs and the
heads OF families, by the express
provisions Of the treaty of Dancing
Rabbit Greek.
The Choctaws in Mississippi are
principally located in Newton,
NesPoba and Kemper counties.
They call themselves Muckalushees
and Boguechittoes, and each body
possesses a chief. The games Of
ball are played between picked
men, chosen by the chiefs of the
Muckalushees and the Boguechit-
toes. The scene Of the game is in
the woods. The bushes and under
growth are cut down and removed
from anarea of about five acres.
Two trees are cut down and
split and then set into the
ground abont $50 yards apart, with
the split sides facing each other
and rising about 20 feet above
the surface of the earth. The
moment each side get their
holes in position, an armed
guard takes charge Of them
for the purpose of keeping witches
away. They beat rude sort Of
drum, made out of about two feet
of hollow log with deer skin
stretched over the two ends and
shoot off their guns in order to
keep the witches from bewitching
their ball poles. Each side, also,
has its medicine man, an aged In
dian, whole face is grotesquely
streaked with red, yellow and blue
paint to brighten off the evil spirit.
The medicine man walks around
the ball poles, chanting something
in the Choctaw dialect, and per-
forming all manner OF antics and
gyrations of his body. The cere-
monies are continued without: in
Permission until the game of ball
commences.
The chief OF the Boguechittoes
collects his young men around
him, he standing in the GEN.
tire, and they sitting in circle
on the ground and addresses them
in Choctaw for about fifteen min
utes. AT the conclusion of
the speech he designates by
name those who are to play on
his side and as each one is singled
out he springs from the ground,
gives deafening whoop and per-
forms all the feSts of agility within
his power in leaps and somer.
saults. H..
Near the opposite poles the chief
of the Muckalushees is going
through precisely the same cere-
monies, he standing in the centre,
and his young men seated in cir
Gle around him. He, too, selects
those who are to play on his side.
The chosen players retire into
the bushes TO make the necessary
preparations; one Of which is to
scratch their arms, thighs and
calves with large needle until the
blood runs from the scratches.
They say this is done in order to
prevent the muscles from becom-
ing sore in consequence of the vio-
lent muscular exertion put forth
during the play.
They play with nothing on their
bodies except breech cloths. The
game is eleven, fifteen, or twenty
one, as may be agreed upon, and
usually the players number
twenty-five on a side. The two
split poles, facing each other st the
distance of 100 yards, must be hit
by the ball on their split sides. II
the game be eleven up, the side
that hits their poles six times wins
the game.
Before the game begins, a rude
scaffold, made OF small poles laid
across forks driven in the ground,
is erected, amp a man, chosen by
each side, Is stationed there to re-
ceive the various articles that may
be wagered on the result Of the
game of ball.
The Indians, on such occasions,
are desperate gamblers. Rifles,
ponies, deer skins, knives, hatchets,
and silver ornaments are brought
to the two, Indians selected to re.
ceive the articles wagered. These