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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2002)
4 JUNE 1, 2002 Smoke Signals Tribe's Culture Department Now Teaching The Stick Game Guessing game has been a part of the Grand Ronde culture for generations. By Peta Tinda Natives Americans have played the stick game for thousands of years. It has been played in Grand Ronde for at least several hundred years, before losing local popular- ity in more recent times. Now, Tribal Cultural Specialists Tony Johnson and Bobby Mercier are teaching stick game classes in an effort to revitalize the traditional form of entertainment. . "There's a big history of stick game Ronde," said cier. "We hai it here be fore the Reserva tion. Each -Tribe got t( gether gambled for : blankets, or just to visit, like a pow-wow." - The pair hopes to hold a stick game tournament at the : Annual Grand Ronde Pow-wow, J pending the approval of the Pow ; wow Committee. - "The people in the community want it," said Johnson. "We had maybe 50 people at our last class." Traditionally, the stick game has been played wherever friendly people met and camped together. The game is played with two teams of about five people, with one per son as the team captain. The teams take turns hiding a pair of "bones" from the other team. Each team tries to guess in which hands the other Mer- sra-J-:; - '"'-.TV V'rfb ..." , -! '. V'Tft K'-y team is hiding the bones. The teams play for the possession of 11 sticks. A correct guess means one's team gets a stick. The eleventh stick is the tiebreaker, called the "kick stick" and it is usually held in reserve. "Till the very last," said Mercier. Whoever gets all 11 sticks, wins. The game is played with both teams drumming and singing traditional stick game songs. The songs are sung both for power and luck as well as in an effort to confuse the other team. "The game can be over i n five guesses or it can take all night " said Johnson. Players use knowledge and strategy in playing the game. They note tendencies in the play of others and watch for fleeting gestures or subtle looks from the other players that may re veal the true positions of the bones. In order to avoid this, bone han dlers will often stare at the ground or above their opponent. Dark sun glasses may be worn to conceal the bone handler's eyes to prevent him from giving away any information. Traditionally, bets were made and set in an area between the two teams. However, "Betting isn't really an issue nowadays," said Johnson. "Everything around the stick game is traditional. If you live the stick game lifestyle, then by the nature of that, you're a traditional Indian. I have an interest in my son growing up around the stick game. I want him to meet the people who go to the games." Some team cap tains are well known for their good luck medicine or because they know particularly lucky songs. An individual's per sonal power ac quired earlier in life through a vi sion quest or through dreams may be invoked, especially if it is "' " """ one that is specifically associated with luck. Coyote, for example, is known to many Tribes as one who can grant power or good luck. "People go out and pray for songs. Some spirits are just good and will teach you how to be good at some thing," said Mercier. "One of those things is gambling." If the trend continues, stick game could be revitalized in this area. "We're trying to bring the stick game back. We want to have it at the next Grand Ronde Pow-wow," '),''' v t i ' , . . . Tools Of the Game Tribal member and Tribal Language specialist Bobby Mercier shows the pieces that are used when playing the stick game. Mercier said he wants his newborn son to grow up around the stick game. Dates for the monthly games have yet to be announced. said Mercier. "We should know by the next Pow-wow Committee meet ing." In the mean time, Mercier and Johnson will continue to teach stick game classes at the community cen ter in Grand Ronde. "It draws a big crowd," said Mer cier. "People really like to play." "Tribes are more separate today than they've ever been," said Johnson. "The stick game is valu able because it gets Tribes together. It's good traditional entertainment." Nation's Biggest Pow-wow Plays Host To Grand Ronde Royalty j p - . ' t 8 1 V -Vl '-Kir Big POW-WOW -Several members of the Grand Ronde Tribe, including Royalty prin cesses Emma Leno (left), Tenisha Rios (front) and Brandi Little (right), made their way to the "Gathering of Nations Pow wow" in Albuquerque, New Mexico on April 27. The Gath ering of Nations is the biggest pow-wow in the country (photo at right). The Royalty girls wrote a letter thanking every one for allowing them to repre sent the Tribe. They said they look forward to attending more pow-wows in the future. OSU Is Site For Klatowa Eena Contest Pow-wow 9 o i l4' Behind The Scenes At A Pow-wow - Stanson Yazzie helps his son Anthony Yazzie with his face paint at the annual Oregon State University student Pow-wow. San Poilwhitehead, 6, plays with his sister Kateri White head, 4, at the bead display at the pow-wow t H?TmCV .'.i''m,.,i. j I ? I I ill til i-'yl 111 I IU III I 4 I'M if' I
