Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-12-29
A GREAT GAMBLING GAME
HAS JUST COME TO AN END IN CALI
FORNIA.
Indians Prove Themselves Great
Stayers-The Losers Never Quit
Until They Are Cleaned Out.


Pomona Cal, Correspondence Chicago Record.
A most extraordinary gambling game has
just come to an end in the little Indian
pueblo Of Temecula. in Riverside county.
1t continued ceaselessly for three days and
nights. and would not have stopped then
but for the fact that the Indians Of the
Pachango tribe had lost all their petty per-
sonal property OF any cash value. except
their very garments and grunts.
Temecula Is one of the eleven mission In
dian puebios in southern California. IT IS
situated among the Sierra Madra mountains.
All the mission Indians In California are
famous gamblers, but the Temeculas are
the most reckless plungers among any red
skins In the west. The Sabobas. Temescals
and Pachangos are also proficient gamblers.
Every December these little remnants OF
former great tribes meet for season OF
gambling. Last year the four tribes camped
at Saboba and had week OF gambling
The Pachangos and Temescais were Win
ners then. From that time the Temecuas
have been waiting for the opportunity to
win back their losings of last December
and more too.
The Mission Indians seem to be born
for gambling. No white gamblers Will risk
their all so comp.acently as the red people
do and no professional white pungers ever
stayed SO persisIentIy at gaming. All bucks
and squaws gamble. The Indian agents
and the whites who have lived among the
redskins to teach them habits of sobriety
and industry have almost abandoned nope
of retaining Lo and his family from
gambling ways. They can curtail the drink
habits, but The love of games of chance,
never. There have been many times-as
just at present among the Pachangos-
when a tribe has parted with everything
by which it may live and provide some
sort Of livelihood TO the winners of long
gambling game. But for the help of char
itab.e people and the Indian agents the
losers at the gambling game would be
almost starved The one gambling game OF
the Indians of the Pacific coast is known
as sing gamble. 1t is a simple game OF
guessing, but a red man will wager all his
household possessions, even to his cloth
ing, on the game.
Preparing for the Meeting.
Early in November the four tribes that
Join in the gambling fiesta began prepara-
lions for the meeting on the sun-baked
mesa in the semi-tropic region Of Temecuia
canon. The Indians gathered up their
blankets. firearms. household utensils.
ponies. horses and fancy feathers and went
afoot, in wagons and on horseback over
the mountains and through the canons TO
Temecula. When Lo goes to gamble he
takes every one and everything in his home
circle. The Indians camp out, and they
stay there until some tribe is compelled &c
cease because 1t has lost literally its all.
When the recent gambling season among
the Mission Indians began the stakes play
ed for included horses, wagons, buggies.
saddles. harness. blankets. jewelry. rifles,
bed quilts, shawls. clothing and $3.50 in
cash, the whole representing a total OF
81. 100 worth of property. There was all
that the allied tribes possessed. even to
the clothes they wore and their winters
supply of food. wagered on the game. The
It'll;
chaparral. grasses. leaves and palm
branches. that has stood on the mesa sew
eral years and has been the scene of sew
eral remarkable gambling games.
A smoky bonfire of twigs and dried sod
was made at one side of the rude structure
and would have driven any white men TO
the open air with its fumes but 1t seemed
to make no difference to the Indians The
gambling wickiup and attended the gaming
In squads Of players. the members of one
tribe always being opponents Of the mem
bers of any other tribe. Every Indian had
his blanket and many bucks Sept over at
one side OF the wickiup. and the furious
noise of the gaming never seemed to dis.
turb their s.umbers The most earnest
gaming opened early each evening. when
lighted candles were stuck in the grouhd
round about the wickiup, and every person
in the assembled tribes was present to join
in the excitement Of the gambling. even il
not to participate in the game.
A Guessing Test.
An hour after shutdown. when the active
game Of sing gamble begins in the wickiup.
two wrinked. very dark-visaged and hob
bling old bucks, with as profound ceremony
as the Indians know. enter with the LAY
out, consisting Of wooden chips about the
shape and twice the size of silver dollar,
and 12O tally sticks. all wrapped in gaily
decorated straw mats. Two bags of thin
bark Sha Wings cOmniete the unfit 2fra
mats are spread before the fire, and two
men from each side seat themselves. facing
each other. and are ready for business.
The tribal adherents Of the rival players
arrange themselves in their rear and watch
the game with intense interest and bet
reeklessly. A paleface cannot imagine the
excitement that they suppress as their
black eyes follow the game.
One Of the players takes ten chips, one
of them distinguished from the others by q
white ring, and divides them into two equal
plies and carefully mixes them with the
bark shavings He then grabs one pile,
shavngs and all. in each hand. and moves
his hands in a circle rapidly from light to
left while one of the opposite side guess
in which hand he holds the white-ringed
chip. or queen" as 1T Is called. II the
guess is right one Of the tally sticks Is
taken from the players pile and given to
the guesser but If wrong the guessers pile
suffers. The guessing Is done with deep
study. and after the most earnest possible
the shavings from one hand to another.
Each side starts with sixty sticks. and when
one side has won them all the game comes
to an end The Indians tremble with ex-
element and the squaws chatter excitedly
among themselves concerning the conduct
of the gaming operations and the respect
i've winnings and losings. Bets are con-
stantly being made. not on the separate
plays, but on the outcome Of the game.
and all are settled at the same time These
bets consist of money. blankets. horses.
guns. cows. harness and everything the
bettors possess. even to the clothing on their
backs.
Occasionally the gaming becomse very
noisy and the tribes endeavor to cheer their
respective tribal players and help their own
bets toward winning by shouts and yells
and deep. cultural songs. Fancy what
noise would be made by lot Of excited In
dams yelling such a stanza as this:
Hey-yo ho-hol
Hey-yo ho-ho ho-hoi
Ayee, hOho, ayee, ayeel
Ming mingi. Pachango!
All Oh a-a-a-
Ho-yah-wah-whol
Pachango!