700 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1896. 



sent oue point, and perpendicular to this, either horizontally or A^ertically, to rep- 

 resent five points.' 



He continnes to add sticks thus as he continues to score. This use of the sticks as 

 counters to indicate unpaid winnings is a device for deferring further settlement 

 until the game seems near its end, and also serves to increase the count indefinitely 

 to meet the indefinite duration of the game, as after one player secures a token his 

 opponent, -when he scores, merely reduces the former's pile by the value of his 

 score. The reduction is effected by returning from the token pile to the private pile 

 the amount of the opponent's score; hence at auy time the token pile represents the 

 amount of advantage which its owner has obtained since the last settlement. 

 These settlements are made whenever either party may desire it; this, however, is 

 supposed to be whenever a player's token pile seems to represent a value approaching 

 the limit of his opponent's ability to pay. If his opponent shoiild permit the settle- 

 ment to be deferred until he were no longer able to pay his debts, then he would 

 lose the game to the first player; whereas, if one player after the settlement retains 

 five plain sticks but not more, a new feature is introduced which favors him. If, 

 while retaining his five sticks, he can score five points before his opponent scores at 

 all, he wins the game in spite of the much greater amount of his opponent's win- 

 nings up to that point. If his opponent scores one point only before he obtains his 

 five points, he still has a chance, though a less promising one. If, after paying over 

 the three plain sticks that represent a single point two plain sticks still remain to 

 him, he is then comi)elled to win seven points befoi-e his opponent wins one or he 

 forfeits the game; but if he succeeds in winning his seven points, the game is still 

 his. However, in these last chances he is further handicapi)ed by the rule that he 

 can at no time score more points than are represented in his private pile. Conse- 

 quently, if with only five plain sticks in his possession he could only score a single 

 point, even if his toss should call for five; but with six i)lain sticks he could score 

 two i>oint8; with nine sticks, three, etc. The last chances are: With only five plain 

 sticks, five points are necessary to win; with three sticks, six points; with two 

 sticks, seven points ; with one stick, seven points. There are two other minor rules : 

 One, that in counting five points on plain sticks four bundles of four each are given 

 instead of five bundles of three each, as one should expect; total, sixteen. The 

 other rule is that to count six points we use a notched stick plus only two plain 

 sticks, instead of three, as might be expected. 



This game may be regarded as an American analogue of the Chinese 

 game of Chong iin cKau (No. 27). 



Mr. Hager states that the preceding game was invented and taught 

 by the hero Glooscap. They also have a similar game called Wohuna- 

 runlc, which, they say, was invented and owned by Mikchikch, the turtle, 

 one of Glooscap's companions, to whose shell the dice bear some resem- 

 blance.^ The name Wohunarunli is derived from ivohun, meaning dawn ; 

 to which is added a termination signifying anything molded or worked 

 upon by human hands.* 



'This system of scoring is identical with that used in Japan with the counting- 

 sticks, or sanf/i (Chinese, siin muk). One is indicated by a stick arranged vertically, 

 and five by a stick placed horizontally. A set of sangi in the University Museum (Cat. 

 No. 18306) (fig, 22), consists of one hundred and twenty-seven little wooden blocks, 

 l-\f, inches in length, and about i inch square in section. Sangi are, or rather were 

 emjdoyed in Japan in the higher mathematics, the use of the sorohan or abacus not 

 being customary Avith scholars. 



' The account of Wobihidriinlc is from an unpublished manuscript by Mr. Hager, 

 which he courteously placed in my hands. 



'■'From the fact that white shell beads (wampum) are constantly referred to as 

 being used as stakes, not only among the tribes of the Atlantic coast but m the 



