Native American recreational activities
Early Native American recreational activities consisted of diverse sporting events, card games, and other innovative forms of entertainment.
Common athletic contests held by early American tribes (such as the Algonquian, Cherokee, Iroquoian, Sioux, Lakota, Choctaw, and Great Lakes peoples) included games of stickball (an early form of lacrosse also known as "Little Brother of War"), chunkey, archery, darts, foot races, and canoeing.
[2] Games and athletic contests were played for reasons such as religious beliefs, politics, wagering, solving disputes, healing benefits, land use, and for entertainment (Delsahut).
[2] Some games were meant for children, teaching skills such as hand-eye coordination, discipline, and the importance of challenging work and respect.
[2] Games such as stickball were so physical that players were often injured; yet, it was one of the most popular sports played by a wide range of tribes who contested against each other frequently in order to settle disputes that may have otherwise led to war.
[3] Stickball (also referred to as "Little Brother of War") is one of the most well-known sports that was played among early American indigenous tribes, as it was the game that modern-day lacrosse is derived from.
"Today, the game is played not only by the Cherokee but also by many other Southeastern Woodland tribes including the Muscogee, Seminole, Yuchi and Natchez, using very similar rules.
"[3] American Indians in Mississippi valley (specifically Bayogoulas and the Choctaw people) were known to play a game called "chunkey" in the early 1700s.
[5] James F. Barnett Jr. describes in his scholarly essay "Ferocity and Finesse: American Indian Sports in Mississippi" that the game of chunkey was valued by indigenous people in a spiritual and political matter.
[5] The game was a two-person contest, and the objective was to throw spear-like poles (usually 8–15 feet in length) at hoops that were rolling.
[6] The Algonquian and Iroquoian tribes, located around present-day Michigan, would use locally found supplies to create their bows.
[7] Gambling can be traced back to early Native American history, when tribes would wager their horses, food, and other personal possessions over games such as chunkey and stickball.
Among the people of the Upper Columbia River, gamblers would sometimes lose family members to slavery, including wives and children, through bets that they placed over games.
[10] These vessels were observed by North American explorers like Samuel de Champlain as early as the year 1603.
Natives living in the Northeast of the United States in the 1700s used canoes to fish, and in some cases, shoot bows and arrows from.
[10] "Pass the stone" was a very simple guessing game that is still used today to educate children on Native American culture.
Some indigenous games were intended for all men players; however, women still contributed to the recreation and entertainment culture of Native tribes.
It was part of Native American culture for women to avidly compete in races, juggling, Choctaw stickball, double ball games, and basketball.
