680 



REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1896. 



Six arrows made of single pieces of maple wood, 29^ inches in length 

 (Plate 3). The heads are carved and ])aiiited. According to tlie col- 

 lector, Mr. James Mooney, they are thrown with the hand like a javelin, 

 and the player who throws farthest wins. It is a man's game. 



It is probable that these arrows were actually used in a game ex- 

 tremely common among the Plains Indians. It consists in the players 

 tossing arrows in turn at a mark. The object of each player after the 

 first is to throw his arrow so that it will lie across the arrow or arrows 



Fig. 6. 



CLOTH FOE ZOHN AHL. 



Kiowa Indians, Indian Territory. 



Cat. No. 16535, Museum of Archa?olopy, University of renusylvania. 



that have been tossed before.' Mr. Gushing informs me that the counts 

 usually depend upon whether the tossed arrow falls upon the other at 

 its head, middle, or foreshaft. 



' Mr. E. W. Davis has given me an account of this game, as seen by liim played by 

 the Apache of Geronimo's baud in 1889, in St. Augustiue, Florida. He states that 

 the mark was about 10 feet away. ''The arrows were tossed point l:rst. The lirst 

 man to throw was re<]uired to laud on the mark. If he did so he got his arrow back. 

 Once an arrow in the tield, the object of the next player was to toss his arrow so 

 that it should cross the first thrown, and so on through the crowd. I have seen as 

 many as six play, and often all would toss around without anyone winning. In this 

 case the arrows on the ground remained in the pot, so to speak. The play then went 

 on, eacb player winning as many arrows as he could succeed in crossing with his 

 own, until the whole number was removed." 



