CULIN] DICE GAMES: HURON 109 
consists in throwing all white or all black; they usually play village against 
village. All the people gather in a cabin, and they dispose themselves on poles, 
arranged as high as the roof, along both sides. The sick man is brought in a 
blanket, and that man of the village who is to shake the dish (for there is only 
one man on each side set apart for the purpose), he, I say, walks behind, his 
head and face wrapped in his garment. They bet heavily on both sides. When 
the man of the opposite party takes the dish, they cry at the top of their voice 
achine, achine, achine, three, three, three, or, perhaps, ioio, ioio, ioio, wishing him 
to throw only three white or three black. You might have seen this winter a 
great crowd returning from here to their villages, having lost their moccasins at 
a time when there was nearly three feet of snow, apparently as cheerful, never- 
theless, as if they had won. The most remarkable thing I notice in regard to 
this matter is the disposition they bring to it. There are some who fast several 
days before playing. The evening before they all meet together in a cabin, 
and make a feast to find out what will be the result of the game. The one 
chosen to hold the dish takes the stones, and puts them promiscuously into a 
dish, and coyers it so as to prevent anyone from putting his hand into it. That 
done, they sing; the song over, the dish is uncovered, and the plum stones are 
found all white or all black. At this point I asked a savage if those against 
whom they were to play did not do the same on their side, and if they might 
not find the plum stones in the same condition. He said they did. “And yet,” 
said I to him, “all can not win;” to that he knew not how to answer. He 
informed me besides of two remarkable things: In the first place, that they 
choose to handle the dish some one who has dreamed that he could win, or 
who had a charm; moreover, those who have a charm do not conceal it, and 
carry it everywhere with them; we have, they tell me, one of these in our 
village, who rubs the plum stones with a certain ointment and hardly ever 
fails to win; secondly, that in making the attempt, some of the plum stones 
disappear, and are found some time after in the dish with the others. 
Bacqueville de la Potherie ¢ says: 
The women sometimes play at platter, but their ordinary game is to throw 
fruit stones with the hands, as one plays with dice. When they have thrown 
their stones in the air, they move their arms as if making gestures of admira- 
tion, or driving away flies. They say nothing, one hears almost nothing, but 
the men ery like people who fight. They speak only in saying black! black! 
white! white! and from time to time they make great clamorings. The women 
have only this kind of game. Children play at cross, never or rarely at platter. 
Teanaustayae, Ontario. 
Father Lalemant ? says: 
One of the latest fooleries that has occurred in this village was in behalf of a 
sick man of a neighboring village, who, for his health, dreamed, or received 
the order from the physician of the country, that a game of dish should be played 
for him. He tells it to the captains, who immediately assemble the council, 
fix the time, and choose the village that they must invite for this purpose—and 
that village is ours. An envoy from that place is sent hither to make the propo- 
sition; it is accepted, and then preparations are made on both sides. 
This game of dish consists in tossing some stones of the wild plum in a wooden 
dish—each being white on one side and black on the other—whence there ensues 
loss or gain, according to the laws of the game. 
«Historie de l'Amérique Septentrionale, vy. 3, p. 28, Paris, 1722. 
> Relation of 1639. The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, yv. 17, p. 201, Cleve- 
Jand, 1898. 
