CULIN] DICE GAMES: DAKOTA 1838 
Dakota (WanPETON and Sisseron). South Dakota. 
Dr H. C. Yarrow? refers to the plum-stone game in his paper on 
Indian mortuary customs, as described to him by Dr Charles E. 
McChesney, U. S. Army, as follows: 
After the death of a wealthy Indian the near relatives take charge of the 
effects, and at a stated time—usually at the time of the first feast held over the 
bundle containing the lock of hair—they are divided into many small piles, so as 
to give all the Indians invited to play an opportunity to win something. One 
Indian is selected to represent the ghost, and he plays against all the others, 
who are not required to stake anything on the result, but simply invited to take 
part in the ceremony, which is usually held in the lodge of the dead person, in 
which is contained the bundle inclosing the lock of hair. In cases where the 
ghost himself is not wealthy, the stakes are furnished by his rich friends, should 
he have any. The players are called in one at a time, and play singly against 
the ghost’s representative, the gambling being done in recent years by means of 
cards. If the invited player succeeds in beating the 
ghost, he takes one of the piles of goods and passes out, 
when another is invited to play, etc., until all the piles 
of goods are won. In cases of men, only the men play, 
and in cases of women, the women only take part in the 
ceremony. Before the white man came among these 
Indians and taught them many of his improved vices 
a ‘a 2% b 
this game was played by means of figured plum seeds. 
the men using eight and the women seven seeds, figured 
as follows and as shown in figure 237. Two seeds are ‘ ) 
simply blackened on one side [AA], the reverse [aa] ¥\ 
D D 
containing nothing. Two seeds are black on one side, Cc 
with a small spot of the color of the seed left in the 
center [BB]. the reverse side [0b] having a black spot 
in the center, the body being plain. Two seeds have a &) (7) ) 
buffalo’s head on one side [C] and the reverse [ce] c d d 
simply two crossed black lines. There is but one seed Fie. 237. Plum-stone dice; 
of this kind in the set used by women. Two seeds have Wahpeton and Sisseton 
the half of one side blackened and the rest left plain, saree 7s, meer 
so as to represent a half-moon [DD]; the reverse [dd] 
has a black longitudinal line crossed at right angles by six small ones. There 
are six throws whereby the player can win and five that entitle him to another 
throw. The winning throws are as follows, each winner taking a pile of the 
ghost’s goods: 
Two plain ones up, two plain with black spots up, buffalo’s head up, and two 
half-moons up wins a pile. Two plain black ones up, two black with natural 
spot up, two longitudinally crossed ones up, and the transversely crossed one 
up wins a pile. P 
Two plain black ones up, two black with natural spots up, two half-moons up, 
and the transversely crossed one up wins a pile. Two plain black ones, two 
black with natural spot up, two half-moons up, and the buffalo’s head up wins 
a pile. Two plain ones up, two with black spots up, two longitudinally crossed 
ones up, and the transversely crossed one up wins a pile. Two plain ones up, 
two with black spots up, buffalo’s head up, and two long crossed up wins a pile. 
The following auxiliary throws entitle to another chance to win: Two plain 
ones up, two with black spots up, one half-moon up, one longitudinally crossed 
"Mortuary Customs of the North American Indians. First Annual Report of the 
Bureau of Ethnology, p. 195, 1881. - 
