Prehistoric games of North American Indians : Subarctic to Mesoamerica

Prehistoric Games of North American Indians is a collection of studies on the ancient games of indigenous peoples of North America. The authors, all archaeologists, muster evidence from artifacts, archaeological features, ethnography, ethnohistory, and to a lesser extent linguistics and folklore. Chapters sometimes center on a particular game (chunkey rolling disc game or patolli dice game, for example) or sometimes on a specific prehistoric society and its games (Aztec acrobatic games, games of the ancient Fremont people), and in one instance on the relationship between slavery and gaming in ancient indigenous North American societies. In addition to the intrinsic value of pursuing the time depth of these games, some of which remain popular and culturally important today among Native Americans or within the broader society, the book is important for demonstrating a wide variety of research methods and for problematizing a heretofore overlooked research topic. Issues that emerge include the apparently ubiquitous but difficult to detect presence of gambling, the entanglement of indigenous games and the social logic of the societies in which they are embedded, the characteristics of women’s versus men’s games or those of in-group and out-group gaming, and the close correspondence between gaming and religion. The book’s coverage is broad and balanced in terms of geography, level of socio-cultural organization and gender. Intro -- Contents -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Foreword by George H. J. Abrams -- 1. Introduction / Barbara Voorhies -- 2. Why Waltes was a Woman's Game / Kevin Leonard -- 3. Playing the Apalachee Ballgame in the Fields of the Thunder God: Archaeological and Ideological Evidence for Its Antiquity / J. Grant Stauffer and F. Kent Reilly III -- 4. "He Must Die Unless the Whole Country Shall Play Crosse": The Role of Gaming in Great Lakes Indigenous Societies / Ronald F. Williamson and Martin S. Cooper -- 5. Chunkey and the Historic Experience in the Mississippian World / Thomas J. Zych -- 6. The Sacred Role of Dice Games in Eastern North America: Implications for the Protohistoric Lower Mississippi Valley / David H. Dye -- 7. Reinventing the Wheel Game: Prestige Gambling on the Plains/Plateau Frontier / Gabriel M. Yanicki -- 8. Gaming in Fremont Society / Joel C. Janetski -- 9. Mobility, Exchange, and the Fluency of Games: Promontory in a Broader Sociodemographic Setting / Gabriel M. Yanicki and John W. Ives -- 10. Social Aspects of an Apachean Stave-Dice Gaming Feature at Three Sisters / Deni J. Seymour -- 11. Serious Play in the Preclassic: The Chalcatzingo Figurines as Guides in a Game of Social Learning / Mark E. Harlan -- 12. Ancient Maya Patolli / John Walden and Barbara Voorhies -- 13. Sport and Ritual as Social Bonding: The Communal Nature of Mesoamerican Ballgames / Marijke M. Stoll and David S. Anderson -- 14. Acrobatic Dances and Games of Mesoamerica as Ritual-Entertainment / Gerardo Gutiérrez -- 15. Aztec Gambling and Magical Thinking / Susan T. Evans -- 16. The Biggest Losers: Gambling and Enslavement in Native North America / Catherine M. Cameron and Lindsay D. Johansson -- 17. Post-Game Remarks / Warren R. DeBoer -- Contributors -- References -- Index List of Figures ix List of Tables xiii Foreword by George H. J. Abrams xv 1. Introduction 1 Barbara Voorhies 2. Why Waltes was a Woman’s Game 19 Kevin Leonard 3. Playing the Apalachee Ballgame in the Fields of the Thunder God: Archaeological and Ideological Evidence for Its Antiquity 34 J. Grant Stauffer and F. Kent Reilly III 4. “He Must Die Unless the Whole Country Shall Play Crosse”: The Role of Gaming in Great Lakes Indigenous Societies 48 Ronald F. Williamson and Martin S. Cooper 5. Chunkey and the Historic Experience in the Mississippian World 63 Thomas J. Zych 6. The Sacred Role of Dice Games in Eastern North America: Implications for the Protohistoric Lower Mississippi Valley 87 David H. Dye 7. Reinventing the Wheel Game: Prestige Gambling on the Plains/Plateau Frontier 104 Gabriel M. Yanicki 8. Gaming in Fremont Society 119 Joel C. Janetski 9. Mobility, Exchange, and the Fluency of Games: Promontory in a Broader Sociodemographic Setting 139 Gabriel M. Yanicki and John W. Ives 10. Social Aspects of an Apachean Stave-Dice Gaming Feature at Three Sisters 163 Deni J. Seymour 11. Serious Play in the Preclassic: The Chalcatzingo Figurines as Guides in a Game of Social Learning 178 Mark E. Harlan 12. Ancient Maya Patolli 197 John Walden and Barbara Voorhies 13. Sport and Ritual as Social Bonding: The Communal Nature of Mesoamerican Ballgames 219 Marijke M. Stoll and David S. Anderson 14. Acrobatic Dances and Games of Mesoamerica as Ritual-Entertainment 235 Gerardo Gutiérrez 15. Aztec Gambling and Magical Thinking 259 Susan T. Evans 16. The Biggest Losers: Gambling and Enslavement in Native North America 273 Catherine M. Cameron and Lindsay D. Johansson 17. Post-Game Remarks 286 Warren R. DeBoer Contributors 297 References 299 Index 355 Prehistoric Games of North American Indians is a collection of studies on the ancient games of indigenous peoples of North America. The authors, all archaeologists, muster evidence from artifacts, archaeological features, ethnography, ethnohistory and to a lesser extent linguistics and folklore. Studies may center on a particular game (chunkey rolling disc game or patolli dice game, for example), on a specific prehistoric society and its games (Aztec acrobatic games, games of the ancient Fremont people), or, in one instance, on the relationship between slavery and gaming in ancient North American societies. In addition to the intrinsic value of pursuing the time depth of these games, some of which remain popular and culturally important today the book is important for demonstrating a variety of research methods and for problematizing an overlooked research topic. Issues that emerge include the apparently ubiquitous but difficult-to-detect presence of gambling, the entanglement of indigenous games and the social logic of the societies in which they are embedded, the characteristics of women's versus men's games or those of in-group and out-group gaming, and the close correspondence between gaming and religion. The book's coverage is broad and balanced in terms of geography, level of socio-cultural organization, and gender. Book jacket Presents a collection of studies on the ancient games of indigenous peoples of North America. The authors, all archaeologists, muster evidence from artifacts, archaeological features, ethnography, ethnohistory, and to a lesser extent linguistics and folklore. Chapters sometimes centre on a particular game or sometimes on a specific prehistoric society and its games.