Stick gambling facts for kids
Stick gambling, also known as a hand game, is a traditional game played by many Native American groups. The rules for this game can be a little different depending on which group is playing.
Historically, these games were often played when different groups met up, perhaps while traveling. They could last for several days! Players would bet valuable items like matches, shot (for guns), or even tobacco. In the past, only men usually played. But today, both boys and girls, and men and women, can join in. For example, the Yukon Territory First Nations in Canada hold many yearly hand game tournaments where everyone can play.
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How to Play Stick Gambling
Imagine two teams sitting on the ground, facing each other. Both teams need to be about the same size.
- One team hides a special token, called an idzi, in one of their hands. They pass it back and forth between their fists to make it harder to guess.
- Behind the hiding team, drummers play music and sing special gambling songs. This adds to the excitement!
- When the captain of the other team claps their hands, the drumming stops. The players who are hiding the token then show their closed fists.
The opposing captain then uses a special hand signal to guess which hand holds the token. They try to guess for all the players on the other team at the same time!
- If the captain guesses correctly, that player is out of the game.
- For every player who was not eliminated, the hiding team gets a counting stick.
- Once all the players on one team are eliminated, it's the other team's turn to hide the idzi.
The game continues until one team wins two out of three "judge sticks." These judge sticks are like the final score markers.
Playing the Yukon Way
The Yukon style of stick gambling has a few specific rules:
- You need an even number of teams.
- You also need two more sticks than players (for example, 12 players would need 14 sticks).
- There are three special "game sticks." The first team to get two of these wins the whole game.
- Players use two or more blankets to help hide the bead (token).
- You need one bead for each person playing.
- There are two judges, one for each side.
Starting the Game
The game always begins with a challenge between the two team captains. Both captains hide their bead. When they are ready, they "shoot" (point) to guess which hand the other captain's bead is in. The captain who wins this first battle gets to have their team hide the token first.
Hiding the Bead
When a player is ready to show their clenched fists after hiding the bead, they have a couple of choices:
- They can cross their hands and say "Dia."
- Or, they can keep their hands uncrossed.
Players often get very creative with how they hold their hands to trick the other team!
Making a Guess
Once the hiding team is ready, the opposing captain points to guess where the beads are. There are different ways to point:
- Left: If the captain points left, the other team opens their right hands.
- Right: If the captain points right, the other team opens their left hands.
- Inside Split: This usually looks like an open hand placed between two people. It means the inside hand of each person should be opened.
- Outside Split: This often looks like a finger gun. It means all the outside hands should be opened.
The way a captain holds their thumb when pointing is very important. For example, if they point left or right with their thumb up, it's actually an outside split. This means they are pointing to a specific spot between two players. If their thumb is up for an inside split, they are saying the person their thumb points to should open their outside hand.
