Park
Hill, Okla. - On Saturday, Oct. 11, sports enthusiasts were be
given the opportunity to show off their athletic abilities during
the Cherokee Heritage Centers Cherokee Games. The ancient
games of marbles, cornstalk shooting, stickball, blowguns and
chunkey are traditional games of skill that have been passed down
for generations.
Stickball
is a game that resembles the modern game of lacrosse but with a
few fundamental differences. In the center of a large field is a
tall pole with a wooden fish attached to the top. The object of
the game is to hit the fish with a small ball made of deer hair
and hide. Although women are allowed to use their hands to obtain
and throw the ball, men must use sticks shaped like miniature tennis
rackets.
The
game of chunkey is played with a disk made of fine-grained stone
approximately six inches in diameter. Hours are spent shaping and
polishing the chunkey ball stones used for this game. Two players
carry poles approximately eight feet long. As the stone is rolled
across a smooth surface, the two competitors run and throw their
poles where they think the ball will stop. The person whose pole
lands closest to where the ball stops gains points.
The
Cherokee marble game dates back to 800 A.D. The marbles are traditionally
made of stone about the size of a billiard ball. The game is played
on a field 100 feet long containing five holes approximately 10
yards apart forming an L shape. The object of the game is to toss
the marbles in the holes advancing in sequence to the last hole
and returning to the start. Team members may knock the opposite
teams marbles out of the holes while trying not to move theirs
too far away.
The
cornstalk shoot goes back to the times when Cherokee hunters and
warriors would compete for accuracy with their bow and arrow. To
keep the tips of the arrows from breaking, participants shot through
a large bank of dried cornstalks. Today the game is played in much
the same way. A one-foot thick wall is created using approximately
200 cornstalks, three feet long, laid on their side. Two of these
cornstalk targets are placed 80 to 100 yards apart. Participants
must stand in front of a target and take one shot at the other target
with their handmade bow. One point is scored for each cornstalk
that the arrow penetrates.
Blowguns
are usually made from rivercane, similar to bamboo, collected in
early spring. A long, hot rod is inserted in the tip of the rivercane
to remove the membrane and hollow the cane. Darts for this six to
eight-feet long gun are typically made of Bois darc and thistle.
Traditionally, the blowguns were used for hunting small game. Although
blowguns are still used for hunting, they are primarily reserved
for demonstration and competitions. Competitors shoot at a target
approximately 20 yards away. Points are determined by the various
values of the rings around the bulls eye. Spectators and players
are both welcomed to attend. Thanks to a sponsorship by the Gannett
Foundation, cash prizes will be awarded to the winners in each competition.
|