Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-02
The PuynIlups and inequalities Played
'SIn-Hael" to u Draw.

From the Tacoma Ledger.
The social event of the season for the
Puyallup. the Nisqually and few White
River Indians has just passed. 1t was the
annual gambling and horse racing of the
tribes, which took place on the Nisqually
reservation. The festivities began Satur-
day and lasted until Monday morning.
when they ceased, and a procession of the
most tired Indians that the people along
the route have seen in many a day started
back to the Puyailup reservation. They
bore no laurels, it is true. but then they
had their ponies and blankets, which at
one time during the gambling they came
disastrously near losing.
The sport took place at a gambling house
kept by Jim" Dimrood, Nisqually Indian
and located in clearing five acres i'll ex-
tent on the right bank of the Nisqually
river, four miles above Mayfeld station
whore the Northern Pacific crosses the
river The game played by the Indians is
called "sla-h2el," and was actively par
ticipated in by thirty Puyallups. five White
River indians and thirty Inequalities, the
White River Indians playing with the
PuyalluDs. The stakes put up by each side
were seventeen ponies, one cow and ten
pigs.
1t was in this gambling house last Sat
urday afternoon that Jack Skamenke,
the leader of the Nisqually gamblers, stood
up and began singing the low, dirge-like
SOIS winch 1OFnnS part OF the ceremony,
and then handed the bones to one of his
men. The Indian took the bones, fumbled
ard changed them, and then, holding a
bone tightly concealed in either hand, be-
gan swinging them for q wary Puyallup to
guess which hand contained the white one.
The gambling was in full progress. The
sce ne was strange one, well worthy the
Erush of FREDERIC Remington or any
Who indulge liking for the wild and fan
tasttc. The bright wood fires were burning
in either end OF the room. Ten feet from
the walls two rows of Indian men were
kneeling down, facing each other leaving
a space of ten feet between them. In one
row were Puyallup and White River In
dams. and in the other were Inequalities.
In the center of the kneeing row.; of In
dams were the leaders, Tommy" Lane for
the PuyallupS and Skamenke for the Mis-
qualities
Back of the kneelng bucks were benches
running the entire length of the room. On
these sat the Indian women of the respec-
tive tribes. who watched the varying for
tones of the players with most intent in
tercst
Stuck in the ground in semi-circular form,
In front Of both Lane and Skamenke, were
thirty-fve small wooden pegs about three
inches i'll length and one-quarter of an inch
in diameter These were the beans" and
when one side won the thirty-five belonging
to the other the game and pot were also
Won.
Suspended from the neck of each Indian
player, ard hanging in front of his breast,
=
Geftly concealed his hands when the bones
were given him to swing.
The bores mentioned are three inches in
length and one inch in diameter. One of
them is perfectly white, the other one has
two black rings around 1t. Each of the
leaders has two sets Of bones, but only one
set Is used at a time. The game proceeds
as follows: The leader of the side whose
turn it IS to play chants a sng-song in
cantation to bring luck. the squaws join
ing i'll this musical 90 effort, and the bucks
also if II ey wish. Two of his men are
then designated by the leader to shake the
bones. which are grasped by the player
one in either hand, and both hands are
placed beneath the handkerchief hanging
over his breast. where he fumbles the
be mes, shifts them about from hand to
hand to confuse those who are keenly
watching him from the other side, and
then, suddenly drawing them from beneath
the handkerchief, begins swinging them to
the right and left in front of him. The
leader of the opposite side then guesses him