(Taken from the Site

Name______

(Taken from the site

Iroquois Games

Read the paragraphs and then answer the questions that follow.(Some key words are underlined)

Native Americans have many uses for the cedar tree. Cedar twigs, greenery and all, have both sacred uses (as in smudging and purification rituals) as well as secular use. One such secular use for cedar twigs is the 'bundle and pin' game.

The game consists of giving the moosehide an upward toss and at the same time piercing one of the holes with the pointed end of the stick. The number of points necessary for the winning is usually set at 100. Each player can hold the t'wis until he misses a point

1. How do you score a point in bundle & pin and how many points do you need to win? ______

Snow Snake - played in winter by men on frozen lakes using a carved stick a meter long, with a head resembling a snake. The snow snake, thrown on the run, races along the top of the ice, the farthest traveled being the winner. The track, pressed down into the snow with a log, could be a mile long.

1. How do you play the game snow snake? ______

Among Native Americans, there were many versions of what we now call lacrosse. Players in some tribes used two sticks, one in each hand. Women and men sometimes competed together on the same teams, but women had their own form of the sport in some areas.

The Cherokees called the sport "the little brother of war" because it was considered excellent military training. A team consisted of hundreds, even thousands, of players, often an entire village or tribe, the goals were often miles apart, and a game might last as long as three days. Since most players couldn't get anywhere near the ball, they concentrated on using the stick to injure opponents. The Six Tribes of the Iroquois, in what is now southern Ontario and upstate New York, called their version of the game "baggataway" or "tewaraathon". It was much more organized than in most areas of the country. There were 12 to 15 players per team, and the goals were about 120 feet apart.

According to most accounts, the first Europeans to see baggataway being played were French explorers who thought the stick resembled a bishop's crozier--la crosse, in French--so the sport was given a new name. However, the French played a form of field hockey that was called jeu de la crosse, and that's a much more likely origin of the name.

1. What are some characteristics of the game of lacrosse?______

1. What did the Six Tribes call their version of lacrosse, and how many people were on a team? ______

5.What did the word "lacrosse" mean originally, and how did the sport get that name? ______

6, Why did the Cherokee call this game "little brother of war"? ______

Before the Ball Game is played, the players and participants gather at the edge of the course where they ingest a medicine, an emetic, which purifies their bodies. A fire is also built outside the Long House for the ceremony, where the leader offers prayers to the Seven Thunders. It is accompanying these prayers to the Thunders that the cornhusk basket containing tobacco is placed in the fire and consumed by flames. A Cayuga explained that the cornhusk basket is given to the Grandfather Thunder to keep his tobacco while he travels. The players of the game are instructed to play fairly and to compete in good faith.

7.Before a traditional lacrosse game (called just “the Ball Game”), what are two things that have to happen? ______

The northeastern Penobscot have a similar traditional game called 'little pines', a game chiefly for women, that was described by Frank Speck in the 1940's. The game used anywhere from 6 to 10 dolls made from white pine tips. The woman sings as she jostles the game board, and the pine sprigs dance and eventually topple. If a pine dancer manages to right itself, then the onlookers exclaim "She's come back to life!"; and "She's glad to wake up again!". The last pine needle dancer to fall from the board is praised by the onlookers for her endurance and dancing skill. The dancers and board are then passed to another to play.

8. How do you know when a game of little pines is over? ______

Click on the underlined word to go to a website. Read the information and then answer the questions

9. List two games the Iroquois played that American kids still know about today? ______

1. How do you score a point in the game hoop and dart, and what is the best score? ______

Use the information from the previous questions to answer the essential questions listed below. You can also click on the picture to visit a website for more information.

What is your artifact?

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What is your artifact used for or how is it used?

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Why was your topicimportant in Iroquois culture?

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What symbol could we use today to stand for games? ______

How does the your topic (artifact) relate to our lives today? (Think of what the artifact represents. How is this important to us today?)

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