Tooker] ETHNOGRAPHY OF THE HURON 115 



lacrosse was played because the medicine man had said that it would 

 influence the weather (JR 14:47).'' Sometimes, also, it was played 

 in memory of an excellent player (JR 15 : 179). 



For the game of straws (aescara) 300 or 400 little white reeds of 

 equal length (about 1 foot long) were cut (S 96-97) .* 



For the bowl game,^ six wild plum stones (JR 10 : 187), five or six 

 fruit stones, or little balls the size of the tip of a little finger, slightly 

 flattened (S 97) were put into a large wooden bowl (wooden dish). 

 These dice were painted black on one side and white or yellow on the 

 other. The players, squatting on the ground in a circle, took the bowl 

 in turn in both hands and, lifting it a little from the ground, struck it 

 sharply so that the dice sometimes fell on one side and sometimes on 

 the other. A side scored when the stones fell either all white or all 

 black (S 97; JR 10: 187). The one who held the bowl kept saying 

 tet, tet, tet^ tet in order to effect a favorable outcome (S 97) . 



The use of this bowl game to cure is illustrated in the following 

 description. A sick man told the chiefs that the bowl game should be 

 played for his health. The chiefs called the council to fix the time and 

 choose the village that should be invited. (The game was usually 

 played between two villages.) An envoy was then sent to the other 

 village with the invitation ; if it was accepted, preparations were made 

 in both villages. The men, having fasted and abstained from sexual 

 intercourse, assembled at night for a feast to prepare themselves and 

 to seek good luck and success for their side. To predict the result of 

 the game, the man chosen to play took the dish, put the stones in it, and 

 covered it so that no one could put his hand into it. Then the men 

 sang a song. After that, the dish was uncovered and all the plum 

 stones were found to be either all white or all black. Next, they 

 displayed their charms and exhorted them. Then they lay down to 

 sleep in this house and hoped to have some favorable dream. In the 

 morning, they related their dreams and collected all the things that 

 they dreamed would bring them good luck. These they put into their 

 pouches. They also collected other people's charms that would bring 

 them luck and had them sit nearest to the player so that they might 

 assist him (cf. JR 17 : 159) . If there was an old man whose presence 



' Iroquois may play lacrosse as well as dance the War Dance during tlie Thunder Cere- 

 mony, a ceremonial directed to the Thunderers which is thought to bring rain (see note 29, 

 p. 75). Either the War Dance or the lacrosse game, or both, also are performed to cure a 

 Sick person (Shimony 1961 a: 162—165, 278; Speck 1949: 118-119). 



8 See Beauchamp (1905:182) and Culin (1907:241-243) for later French descriptions 

 of this game. 



9 The following description of how the bowl game is played could easily serve for present 

 Iroquois practice. Sagard's indecision as to the number of stones may be a trick of his 

 memory : at the present time, six are used. They are now peach stones, but peaches were 

 unknown in America before European contact. The French description of the scoring is in- 

 complete : currently, at least, if all stones fall either black or white, the score is five ; if all 

 stones except one fall so that the same color is up, the score is one. Beans are used to 

 tally the score. 



