The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1900-07-14
EARLY INDIAN ATHLETES.
Their Favorite Games Were Bow1in
Ball, Running, Wrestling, Etc.

! Their Favorite Games Were Bowling,
Ball. Running, Wrestling, Etc.
The American Indians were great
bowlers. Alleys of greater length
than any in use today were built in
the open fields. Balls hewn out of
stone were rolled by genuine Indian
muscle. In fact there is scarcely a
popular kind of game played in this
country today but that its counterpart
can be found in the age of the red
man. They were gamblers, too, even
to FORGETTING the clothes upon their
backs, their wives or their liberty.
Strange to say the average school his
tory has abounded in a description of
the Indian in nearly every point ex-
cept the details of the games he
played.
Relics of the Indian bowling alley
are rare except in few sections of
the country, thus showing that the
game was not universal one, and of
all the games which the Indian played
bowling is undoubtedly the most re-
mote. The Western Reserve of Ohio
was one of the centres for the Indian
bowlers. In several parts of Ashta
bula county some of the other resi-
dents have these relics preserved,
which they have picked up themselves
in their early farming, usually in the
open field.
The balls used, instead of being
large wooden ones like those in use
today, were made of light colored
stone and range in size from an ordi-
nary league ball down to the common
small top rubber ball. The alleys
were built of wood carved out to make
reasonably smooth surface. The
game was more to see how far one
could roll rather than accuracy in
striking the ten pins at the opposite
end of the alley. The alleys were
built so long that it is alleged it was,
hard matter to roll one of these stone
balls so that it would reach the end.
The Indians, too, kept score and,
like in all other games, they gambled.
The Indians were inveterate ball
players and excellent "rooters. Their
game lasted usually from 0 o'clock in
the morning till sundown. 1t was
participated in by from 600 to 1000
young men, divided into two sides,
and the games were witnessed by from
5000 to 5000 men, women and children,
who formed an immense ring around
the entire field. The enthusiastic In
dian yells were not altogether unlike
the notes of the modern ball park.
There was scarcely an intermission of
five minutes during the entire day.
The game, however, resembled our
football rather than. baseball. When
the ball was in the air there were kicks
and struggles, MANNED limbs and
bruised bodies. A prescribed line
divided the ''rooters" of the two
sides. and across this line the gambl-
ing took place. Old men were selected
as umpires. Women on both sides
brought the crude household goods
of the family to be staked on the game.
Shareholders guarded the goods. The
scene resembled two distinct camps,
although there was not necessarily
more than one tribe engaged in the
game.
There was feature of the Indian
game which will be new to the ball
players of the year 1900. Several
medicine men nmong the Choctaws sat
all night on the spot where the ball
was to be started next day and smoked
to the Great Spirit who was to witness
the game. The night before there
also occurred what was known as the
''ball play dance"
Prior to the game each Indian was
provided with two instruments which
resembled our tennis rackets of today.
The judges threw the ball in the air
and Immediately hundreds of Indians
started after it. One finally succeeded
in catching it between the large ends
of the two ''tennis rackets" and threw
it "home," or between two poles, the
limit Of one side or the other. This
would count one point toward the
game and the side getting 100-points
first won. Often in the terrible
struggle for the ball difficulties would
arise between two slightly injured,
SOHtOotaHto anu oHo Saho Woutu oeop
until they settled the dispute. The
women also played ball. When the
men were tired they would announce
q game between the women, and prizes
would be awarded to their winning
wives.
Among the popular amusements
dear to the lighter side of the Amer
lean, parallel for which has been
found among the Indians, are the fol-
lowing: Bowling, ball playing, horse
racing, foot raciug, dancing, wrestling,
che ,kers, dominoes, quoits, sham
fights.
Many things which some of us to-
day may believe are contemporaneous
only with the age in which we live, by
research may be found to have existed
in the everyday life of the American
Indian. Vapor baths were enjoyed by
the Indian before the white man came
to disturb his hunting ground.
Ixru rorss