CULIN] RACKET: CHEROKEE 587 
never to cheat. When the moon looks small and pale, it is because some one 
has handled the ball unfairly, and for this reason they formerly played only 
at the time of a full moon.¢ 
In another myth Mr Mooney refers to playing ball as a figurative 
expression for a contest of any kind, particularly a battle.’ 
Cueroker. Walker county, Georgia. 
Rey. George White writes: ° 
We have been favored with the following letter from a gentleman, giving an 
account of an Indian ball-play which took place in this county, and at which he 
‘ was present: 
“We started one fine morning in the month of August, for the hickory 
grounds, having learned that two towns, Chattooga and Chicamauga, were to have 
a grand ball play at that place. We found the grounds to be a beautiful hickory 
level, entirely in a state of nature, upon which had been erected several rude 
tents, containing numerous articles, mostly of Indian manufacture, which were 
the stakes to be won or lost in the approaching contest. We had been on the 
ground only a short time when the two contending parties, composed of fifty 
men each, mostly in a state of nudity and having their faces painted in a fan- 
tastical manner, headed by their chiefs, made their appearance. The war- 
whoop was then sounded by one of the parties, which was immediately answered 
by the other, and continued alternately as they advanced slowly and in regular 
order towards each other to the center of the ground allotted for the contest. 
“In order that you may have an idea of the play, imagine two parallel lines of 
stakes driven into the ground near each other, each extending for about 100 
yards and having a space of 100 yards between them. In the center of these 
lines were the contending towns, headed by their chiefs, each having in their 
hands two wooden spoons, curiously carved, not unlike our large iron spoons. 
The object of these spoons is to throw up the ball. The ball is made of deer 
skin wound around a piece of spunk. To carry the ball through one of the lines 
mentioned above is the purpose to be accomplished. Every time the ball is 
carried through these lines counts 1. The game is commenced by one of the 
chiefs throwing up the ball to a great height, by means of the wooden spoons. 
As soon as the ball is thrown up, the contending parties mingle together. If 
the chief of the opposite party catches the ball as it descends, with his spoons, 
which he exerts his utmost skill to do, it counts 1 for his side. The respective 
parties stand prepared to catch the ball if there should be a failure on the part 
of their chiefs to do so. On this occasion the parties were distinguished from 
each other by the color of their ribbons; the one being red, the other blue. 
“The strife begins. The chief has failed to catch the ball. A stout warrior 
has caught it, and endeavors with all speed to carry it to his lines, when a faster 
runner knocks his feet from under him, wrests the ball from him, and trium- 
phantly makes his way with the prize to his own line; but when he almost reaches 
the goal, he is overtaken by one or more of his opponents, who endeavors to take 
it from him. The struggle becomes general, and it is often the case that serious 
personal injuries are inflicted. It is very common during the contest to let the 
ball fall to the ground. The strife now ceases for a time, until the chiefs again 
array their bands. The ball is again thrown up, and the game is continued as 
above described. Sometimes half an hour elapses before either side succeeds in 
making 1 in the game. 
Ethnology, pt. 1, p. 257, 1900. 
°Ibid., p. 245, 438. ¢ Historical Collections of Georgia, p. 670, New York, 1855. 
