Traditional games are one of the draws for people who return
year-after-year to the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Wacipi, which will
celebrate its 147th year this fourth of July weekend.
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A
game of moccasin in the meeting room of the SWO Tribal Council.
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One of those games is Moccasin, also known as Hanpa Apena. Darell
Decoteau, a teacher at Tiospa Zina Tribal School teaches students
the game as a way of preserving and passing on Dakota culture.
"This game was not allowed by law. It was one of the traditional
practices that was outlawed for us." says Decoteau, "There's a lot
of families on our reservation that kept this game going, though
it was hidden in a way, when no one else was playing. But recently
it's seen a resurgence and a lot of younger people are learning
to play it."
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Darell
Decoteau sings and plays the drum. Song is an integral component
of Moccasin.
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The game of moccasin is played by a diverse range of Native
American tribes, including Ojibwe, Menominee, and Ho-Chunk people.
The Dakota story of the game's origins, as told by Darell Decoteau,
goes back to a long time ago, in a time of famine, when two hunting
parties Dakota and Ojibwe came across an elk in disputed
territory. To keep the peace, they devised a game that involved
chance and sleight of hand. All the moccasins were lined up, and
players took turns striking the moccasin they thought hid an arrowhead
with a bow. A correct guess would win an arrow, (or more than one,
the rules are complicated, becoming a good player takes practice).
The first to collect all the arrows wins. Legend has it that the
first winning team became the stewards of the elk herd.
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Embroidered
game "moccasins" stand in for the traditional footwear.
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The game has changed over the years. Bows gave way to chokecherry,
then fiberglass, hitting sticks. Wagers for money or goods were
incorporated, and then the tournament style played for a cash prize
at the Wacipi and other events evolved. In the tournament style,
point sticks represent the arrows. An obojun (a smaller stick) represents
20 point sticks. The first player to win five out of nine obojun
wins the game. The length of a game can vary widely, taking hours
or days.
Drum and song are an integral part of the game, as are joking
around and camaraderie.
Attempting a full explainer here would be like trying to make
an expert poker player without any hands-on, except way more complicated
than that. The Wacipi is as good a place as any to learn.
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The
game incorporates traditional song, sleight of hand, bluffing,
a little trash talk, and plenty of laughs.
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