850 GAMES OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS _ [ern. ann. 24 
SeNEcA. Ontario. 
Mr. David Boyle? describes the wake game as follows: 
When friends and neighbors are assembled at a wake, it is customary for them 
to engage in a game to comfort in some measure the bereaved ones, and, to a 
certain extent, as a mere pastime. It may be premised that in so doing there 
is no desire that either side engaged should win, and the whole of the proceed- 
ings are conducted with seriousness. If, during the progress of the game a 
young person should forget himself, the Head Man, or master of ceremonies, 
takes occasion to point out that at such times light behavior is unseemly. 
As many players, men and women, may engage as there is room to accommo- 
date when the two sides sit face to face. The game consists in the hiding of 
a pebble (a marble, or a bullet is how often used) in one of four moccasins or 
mittens held in the lap of the hider for the time being, the other side trying 
to guess in which of these the object has been placed. 
The Head Man makes a long speech to the players. 
A singer having been appointed he sets the pace, accompanied by his drum, by 
giving one of the three Wake Songs . . . and it is to be noted that these 
are the only wake songs, and are never used for any other purpose, or at any 
other time. Indeed, so careful are the people in this respect, that Dah kah-he- 
dond-yeh, who supplied this account of the game gives this as the reason why 
children are not allowed to attend wakes—hearing the songs, they might be 
tempted to sing them thoughtlessly in the course of play. 
The singer for the time being may be seated anywhere on his own row, but 
the hiding must begin at one end, and the guessing at the far away end of the 
opposite row. To enable the guessers to point out the mocassin supposed to con- 
tain the object, a stick or switch, about a yard long is provided and passes from 
hand to hand. When the hider has done his part the moccasins are placed on 
the floor, and guessing goes on. As soon as a particular moccasin is pointed 
out some one who is nearest picks it up and gives it a rap on the floor. Should 
the sound indicate that the stone or marble is in the moccasin, one stick is 
taken from a pile of a hundred splints about the size of lucifer matches, and is 
placed to the credit of the successful guesser’s side. If the guesser desires to 
make two points in the game, he first lays, one above another, the three moccasins 
he takes to be empty. Should the remaining one be found to contain the object, 
liis side gains 2. On the other hand, a failure on his part entails the loss of 2. 
As soon as a correct guess is made the singer ceases his performance and one 
on the winning side takes it up, and thus the game goes on, each man or woman 
hiding and guessing in turn. 
At midnight the Head Man stops the game until a meal has been served in 
the usual way, and consisting of the usual kinds of food. On ceasing to play, the 
two men whose duty it is to keep count, arrange everything to aycid confusion 
or dispute when the game is resumed. Each puts the little sticks used as 
counters and won by his side into one of the moccasins; the remaining sticks 
into a third, and the stone or the marble into a fourth. 
Before play begins after the meal the head man repeats his introductory 
ritual. Should one side win all the counters before daylight, he puts them again 
into one heap as at the beginning, and play goes on, but as soon as daylight 
gives the first sign of appearance he makes a change in the manner of conduct- 
ing the game by appointing two men to act for each row of players, and for 
the purpose of still further shortening it, he may leave only two moceasins in 
their hands. Hiding and finding now follow each other quickly, but the sticks 
Toronto, 1900, 
« Archwolosical Report, 1899, p. 
