Celebrating Learning Through Traditional Native Games
2020 Summerby Brenda Richey
Brenda Richey is an MSU Extension agriculture and 4-H agent in Flathead Reservation.
Traditional Native American culture has always included games for both individual and team competitions. Indigenous games focus primarily on three developmental areas: physical skill and endurance, intuition, and chance. First contact explorers were exposed to games as early as the 1500s. Many games were adopted by visitors and taken back to their countries of origin. Native games such as stickball, shinny, and footbag soon made their appearance as baseball, cricket, hockey and soccer.
Games such as stickball might be used to settle tribal disputes over hunting territories. Instead of declaring a catastrophic war, tribal elders would agree to a game. Rules were few, but strictly adhered to and playing fields were often miles in width and length. These games were intense, often taking days to conclude and warriors could still be critically wounded or killed. It was a civilized way to settle disputes and it protected the non-warriors of each tribe. Tribal elders honored the pre-game arrangement for winnings. Not doing so could cause the tribe as a whole to “lose face” and could lead to being ostracized.
Native communities depended on elders to teach games to youth. The games taught life skills needed to survive in the world. When Indian children were removed from their homes and sent to boarding schools, teaching through games was lost. When and if youth returned to their tribes, they lacked the cultural knowledge developed through traditional games that enabled them to protect and provide for their families.
Paul Phillips, a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes is the CSKT Tribal Health Lead Fitness Specialist and an international Native games player. He has traveled the U.S. and other countries encouraging audiences to learn from and participate in Native games. Several years ago, Phillips worked on a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Part of the research identified if incorporating Native games into daily life would encourage healthier eating and lifestyle choices.
Phillips discovered that because Native games are fun and can be tailored to fit audience needs, participants were more likely to join in. Players felt better mentally, saw physical improvements, and were more willing to address food choices and eating habits. Playing Native games has a positive impact on both physiological and psychological well-being. This creates a healthier individual, and then creates healthier communities.
It is traditional for entire communities to take part in games, either as active players or as avid supporters. All ages are welcome to participate. At the 2019 Montana State University Extension Annual Conference, Phillips was invited to speak and incorporate traditional Native games. Phillips said, “The main thing I’d like to stress is the way Native games teach social skills and expectations. The games teach us how to treat one another: how a man should treat a woman and children; how adult women should treat children; to teach a young man or warrior he is expected to protect, to provide, and to be humble to his own people, using his size and strength to protect his family and community. This is what Native games teach us.”
During the conference, approximately 20 individuals participated in the Native game activity. Players were encouraged by supporters who cheered for both teams. Native games are not without injury, and one player said, “I was stunned at how fast Phillips got to me after I fell, to protect me from the stampede of players. He models the values of the games he teaches. Watching from the sidelines, it was magical to see a master player move in and out of the group, stealing the ball, and shifting the play.”
The youngest player, age two, ran up and down the sidelines pretending to join in, while his pregnant mother worked to keep him out of harm’s way. The adult game paused, and Phillips and other players quieted the group to bring the eager young player onto the court. Now, the little one had an open floor with teams cheering him, his own stick, and the double ball! For this little one, Native games made him the hero of the moment.
MSU Extension Agent Wendy Wedum, one of the adult active players, described her first Native game experience after the conference, “The beauty of the double ball stick game is that it doesn’t require a lot of skill. Anyone can play, regardless of age or athleticism. The rules are simple and few which makes it easy to learn. It is a wonderful game – there are elements that let the individual play intensely, while there are team and defensive strategies to help get the individual with the ball to the goal.”
Today, thanks to continued research in the field of neuroscience, we know that games of intuition and chance that promote observational and sensing skill development are just as important as physical strength and endurance. Holistically, humans need each, in order to thrive in a world with constant assessment and adjustment to an ever-changing and fast-paced environment. No matter your personal or professional background, age or ethnicity, traditional Native games bring us all into one circle as a community enhancing the physical, psychological, and spiritual journey of each participant.
Want to learn more?
For more information regarding Native Games of Montana Tribes please go to http://www.traditonalnativegames.org/.
You can also find free, age-appropriate lesson plans at http://opi.mt.gov/Portals/182/Page%20Files/Indian%20Education/Health%20Enhancement/Traditional%20Games%20-%20all.pdf.