cULIN] DICE GAMES: CONESTOGA 195 
IROQUOIAN STOCK 
CauGHNAWAGA. Quebec. 
Col. James Smith * describes a game resembling dice or hustle cap: 
They put a number of plum stones in a small bowl; one side of each stone is 
black and the other white; then they shake or hustle the bowl, calling hits, hits, 
hits, honesy, honesy, rago, rago, which signifies calling for white or black or 
what they wish to turn up; they then turn the bowl and count the whites and 
blacks. 
Cueroxer. North Carolina. 
I am informed by Mrs Starr Hayes that the Cherokee play a game 
in a flat square basket of cane, like the lid of a market basket, with 
colored beans, under the name of black eye and white eye. 
The shallow basket used is 14 feet square. The beans are colored butter 
beans, a variety of lima, and those selected are dark on one side and white on 
the other. Twelve beans are kept as counters. Six others are put in the 
basket, as they come, and the players, who are four in number, and each two 
partners, play in turn. The basket is held in both hands, slightly shaken, and 
then with a jerk the beans are tossed in the air. If all turn black, 2 are taken 
from the counters; if all turn white, 3 are taken. If but one turns up white, 1 
is taken from the twelve. When they turn five white, 1 only is taken. The 
game is played three or six times weekly. Whoever gets twelve beans has the 
game. d 
Conestoca. Western Pennsylvania and southern New York. 
Loskiel? gives the following account: 
The Indians are naturally given to gambling, and frequently risk their arms, 
furniture, clothes, and all they possess to gratify this passion. The chief game 
of the Iroquois and Delawares is dice, which, indeed, originated with them. The 
dice are made of oval and flattish plum stones, painted black on one and yellow 
on the other side. Two persons only can play at one time. They put the dice 
into a dish, which is raised alternately by each gambler and struck on the table 
or floor with force enough to make the dice rise and change their position, when 
he who has the greater number of winning color counts 5, and the first who has 
the good fortune to do this eight times wins the game. The spectators seem in 
great agitation during the game, and at every chance that appears decisive cry 
out with great vehemence. The gamblers distort their features, and if unsuc- 
cessful mutter their displeasure at the dice and the evil spirits who prevent their 
good fortune. Sometimes whole townships, and even whole tribes, play against 
each other. One of the missionaries happened to be present when two Iroquois 
townships, having got together a number of goods, consisting of blankets, cloth, 
shirts, linen, ete., gambled for them. The game lasted eight days. They assem- 
bled every day, and every inhabitant of each township tossed the dice once. 
This being done and the chance of each person noted down, they parted for the 
day; but each township offered a sacrifice in the evening to insure success to 
their party. This was done by a man going several times around the fire, throw- 
ing tobacco into it, and singing a song. Afterward the whole company danced. 
When the appointed time for the game was at an end they compared notes, and 
the winner bore away the spoil in triumph. 
*An Account of the Remarkable Occurrences in the Life and Travels of Col. James 
Smith, p. 46, Cincinnati, 1870. 
George Henry Loskiel, History of the Mission of the United Brethren among the 
Indians in North America, pt. 1, p. 106, London, 1794. 
