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Plains Indian Guessing Game

To play this Native American game, you will need:

(The directions shown here, to make these sticks, have been modernized for ease and safety. The "old" way to make the sticks is to strip the bark off straight sticks, and carve the markings.) Use the pencil to make these first marks on the sticks--mark off each stick into 5 sections: 2 inches, 3 inches, 2 inches, 3 inches, 2 inches, as shown below. On seven of the sticks, color each 2 inch section with permanent marker or ink. On the eighth stick, color only the middle 2 inch section.

stick
illustration

Two teams with four to eight people on each team can play this game. They sit on the ground so the teams face each other. A folded robe or blanket is placed between them.

One team holds the sticks. Two teammates hold the blanket to hide the other two, who will arrange the sticks. Those two teammates divide the eight sticks into two bundles of four sticks each. Then those two players each hold one of the bundles in such a manner that the painted ends are covered by their hands, as shown above. Then they hold out the bundles to sticks toward their opponents.

The object of the game is for the other team to guess which bundle the odd stick is in. Since all the eight sticks have a center marking, it is not an easy task.

If the other team misses its guess, the first team gets one point. Then the first team shuffles the sticks again under the blanket, and holds them forward for another turn.

On the other hand, if the other team's guess is right, then it is their turn to hold the sticks. The first team has to guess.

Each team may keep its own score, or a scorekeeper can be chosen. The scorekeeper sits between the teams, at one end of the folded blanket. Small colored sticks (like toothpicks) can be used to keep score. For example, small red sticks can be for one team, and green for the other. The scorekeeper holds 20 of each color. When a member of a team guesses right, the scorekeeper puts a toothpick belonging to that team in front of him. The team whose 20 sticks are used up first wins the game.

Note: All players must respect each other, and the game pieces. ("sportsmanship")

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Go to the Lakota Sioux Page

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