CHE&S AND PLAYING-CARDS. 



751 



Denig, a manuscript ^ in the library of the Bureau of American Eth- 

 nology, there occurs tlie following accounts of the bowl and stave game 

 among the Assinaboin: 



. Most of the leisiu-c time, either by night or by day, among all these nations is 

 devoted to gambling in various ways, and such is their infatuation that it is the 

 cause of much distress and poverty in families. For this reason the name of being 

 a desperate gambler forms a great obstacle in the way of a young man getting a 

 wife. Many quarrels arise among them from this source, and we are well acquainted 

 with an Indian who a few years since kiHed another because after winning all he 

 had he refused to put up his wife to be played for. Every day and night in the sol- 

 dier's lodge not occupied by busi- 

 ness matters presents gambling in 

 various ways all the time; also in 

 many private lodges the song of 

 hand gambling and the rattle of 

 the bowl dice can be heard. 



Women are as much addicted to 

 the practice as men, though their 

 games are difl'ercnt, and not being 

 in possession of much projicrty 

 their losses, although 'considerable 

 to them, are not so distressing. 

 The princijial game played by men 

 is that of the bowl, or cosso-6, 

 "which is a bowl made of wood 

 with flat bottom 1 foot in diame- 

 ter or less, the rim turned np about 

 2 inches, and highly polished inside 

 and out. A drawing and a descrip- 

 tion of the arithmetical principles 

 oi this game is now attached in 

 thisplace. Themanner of counting 

 therein mentioned is the nuinner in 

 which we learned it from the Indi- 

 ans, but the value of each of the articles composing the dice can be and is changed 

 sometimes in default of some of them being lost, and again by agreement among the 

 players in order to lengthen or shorten the game or facilitate the counting. How- 

 ever, the best and most experienced Lauds play it as it is represented. It can be 

 played between two or four; that is, either one on each side or two against two. 

 The game has no limit unless it is so agreed in the commencement, but this is 

 seldom done, it being usually understood that the jilayers continue until one party 

 is com]di-tely ruined. 



The dice and their counts [tig. 77] are as follows: 



One large crow's claw, red on one side and black on the other, being the only one 

 that will occasionally stand on end, in which case twenty-live for it is counted, 

 besides its value of live when on its side. 



Four small crow's claws, i)ainted the same as the large one, which count live each 

 if the red side turns uj); if the black, nothing. 



Five plum stones, black on one side and scraped white on the other; the black 

 sides turned np are A'alued at four each; the white sides nothing. 



Five small round pieces of blue china, i inch in diameter, which count three each 

 for the blue side; the white side nothing. 



Fij;. 77. 



ASSINABOIN BOWL GAME. 

 From a sketch by Edwin T. Denig. 



1 Kindly loaned to the writer by the librarian of the Bureau, Mr. Frederick Webb 

 Hodge. 



