Native American Sports & Games
“Native American Life” (series)
Author: Rob Staeger
Publisher: Mason Crest, 2014
Ages: 10-up, Middle Grade
Pages: 64
In this edition of the “Native American Life” series, readers learn about the many sports and games that Native Americans enjoyed in the past. Historically, this activity was a favorite pastime, but who actually participated in such or the rules governing and the reason for playing varied from tribe to tribe.
Games and sports often held spiritual significance. They were played to cure diseases, for blessing of crops and giving thanks, and as preparation for war, among other. A popular common ball game was lacrosse, which had a mythological origin and was originally used to teach the men skills needed in battle. Other games were simply played for fun. Types of games included guessing games; ball and dice games; archery; spear throwing; foot and horse races; wrestling; hoop and pole games; boxing; and gambling. The latter activity, gambling, was especially popular, which over time increased as games and sports decreased in spiritual significance.
Games were commonly divided among the sexes. Men and boys rarely played against the women and girls, although there were exceptions. Men and women in the Southwest, for instance, competed against each other in rabbit hunts. Some Native Americans were excluded from games and sports all together. In Central and South America, among the Aztecs, Incas and Mayans, only the elite class participated in games, as the poorer working class had little time to play.
Staeger describes games and sports in the American Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, Far North, and Southwest regions; and also Central and South America. Chronology, Glossary, Resources and Index are included, as well as plenty of photos and illustrations.
I like that some sports and games are played to this today. Two ball games the author describes reminded me of basketball and soccer, and now I wonder about the origin of those two games. The string game, Cat’s Cradle, was most familiar. It took me back to my girlfriend days on lazy afternoons in my youth. This could be a fun book for students in school.....and for parents and kids looking for something to do on a "lazy afternoon."
Copyright 2014 © Sharon M. Himsl
There is so much gloom and doom in the news these days, I thought I would seek out some good news for a change. If you are like me, there are days you never turn on the radio or TV to listen to the news.
Lately, I find that of the news sources available, I pay the most attention to the one arriving on my front doorstep in the morning, the Moscow-Pullman Daily News. When there is little one can do about the Africans suffering in South Sudan or someone who just lost their home in a flood in India, discovering a local need and/or learning of its resolution is refreshing.
I do not mean to undermine any humanitarian effort in such places or similar. This small newspaper certainly covers all corners of the globe, but I think it is important to consider the needs of people in my own 'backyard' first, because I might actually be able do something for those folks....and I hope the feeling is mutual. Take a look at what the Daily News reported on locally and globally in the last week.
--Dec 25. Hope when all was lost. A local man, a quadriplegic for many years (due to a car accident in 1969), suffered another car crash in April this year. A mechanism operating his specially designed van had snapped and sent him crashing into a building. Both of his legs were broken but he survived. The van was totaled. Replacement would cost $60k and he only had half. His church (200 members) pooled their money and presented him with a $30,000 check for Christmas!!
--Dec 26. Hope for an American symbol. The U.S. Capitol's famous dome is finally being repaired. In 1990 the Washington D.C. structure started leaking after a storm. More than a thousand cracks and tiny pinholes seeping water have since been discovered. Pans are still being used to catch the drips. The project will cost $60 million and take two years.
--Dec 26. Hope for the college bound. An online college (WGU) in Washington state has set tuition at less than 50% that of traditional schools (UW is $12,397). Schedule is flexible. One single mom managed to get a four year degree in 17 months.
--Dec 26. Hope for grammarians. A Local man has invented a new game called Wordzzle. Players combine words to form sentences and learn about sentence structure. Sentences can be nonsensical and funny. They just have to be grammatically correct.
--Dec 26. Hope for foreign adoptions. Support for the Children in Families First Act is growing in the U.S. Congress. If passed, the bill will make international adoption easier. It is estimated there are millions of children in foreign orphanages, but adoptions by U.S. citizens have been next to impossible due to corruption and political problems.
--Dec 26. Hope for the persecuted, helpless and war-torn. Pope Francis prayed publicly for persecuted Christians, battered women, trafficked children, peace in the Middle East and Africa, and refugees across the globe. Regarding peace, he said, "True peace is not a balancing of opposing forces. It's not a lovely facade which conceals conflicts and divisions. Peace calls for daily commitment."
--Dec 26. Hope for the young and dying. A terminally ill eight-year-old Pennsylvania girl suffering from leukemia wished for a huge holiday singalong. Thousands of Christmas carolers gathered to sing outside her home the weekend before Christmas. She died on Christmas day.
--Dec 27. Hope for the building profession. Housing and general construction are UP in our small town of 31,359 (the best since 2005). It appears to be a trend elsewhere, too.
--Dec 28, 29. Hope for the fight against TB in Africa. A doctor from our region was evacuated safely from South Sudan when violence and fighting broke out in the area. More than 120,000 people fled the area. Dr. Jill Seaman began her work in Africa through Doctors Without Borders in 1989. She successfully 
helped establish a tuberculosis clinic in the Upper Nile region. Last report, the clinic was still operational and helping people. She had no desire to leave permanently. She needs our prayers!
--Dec 28, 29. Hope for alcoholics and their families. A drug has been discovered that may help alcoholics stay sober. The medication is called gabapentin, but it will be some time before the Food and Drug Administration approves it and research is complete. Still, it is a hopeful sign for those suffering alcoholism and for families struggling to cope.
Happy New Year!
Copyright 2013 © Sharon Himsl
