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