Indigenous Games

Students are encouraged to pick and gather their own

materials, to make and decorate their own equipment.
Students are also encouraged to know how to make the
equipment needed for each game, and know the rules. They
will then be able to share these games with friends and
family.

Ring the Stick

Start with ring flat on the ground. Flick stick upward then try
to catch ring with end of stick. Younger children may use a
bigger ring and longer sticks. Smaller sticks and smaller
rings may be used for the more advanced.

Materials:
16-32 inch stick (wooden dowel, willow branch)
paint, yarn, beads to decorate stick
ring ½ inch to 2 inches wide
string to attach ring to stick

Run and Scream

Students stand behind the starting line, take a deep breath,
and begin running at signal. At second line, 5-8 feet in front
of starting line, students begin screaming. Who ever runs the
furthest while screaming is the winner.

Make the Stick Jump

Stick 4-7 wooden pegs or sticks, 6-8 inches long, into ground
at varying distances. Assign point values to each peg, with
the closest being fewest and the furthest being most.
Students stand behind line and begin throwing. A direct hit
scores points. Students throw 4-7 rocks per match. The one
with the highest score wins.

Materials:
4-7 Smooth round rocks
4-7 sticks or wooden pegs 6-8 inches long
paint, ribbon, yarn or beads to decorate sticks or pegs.
Students may decorate own personal throwing rocks.

Gathering Stones
Similar to European game of jacks. Students scatter several
small rocks in a designated playing circle. Then take one
larger rock and toss up into the air. They then gather one
small rock in their hand and catch larger rock before it hits
the ground. Next they try to get two small rocks before the
larger rock hits ground, then three rocks etc. The one who is
able to gather the most rocks wins.

Materials:
13 small rocks
1 larger smooth round rock
bag to hold rocks

Sticks in the Fist

Take ten sticks of similar appearance, with one having been
marked on the bottom side. Put in hand with marked end
hidden in palm. Students pick sticks one by one, trying not to
pick marked stick. Whoever picks the most sticks before
picking the marked stick wins, with nine being the highest
score. At first students are using intuition to feel the marked
stick and avoid it. Later they use observation over time to
determine the marked stick.

Materials:
Ten sticks of similar size and appearance with one bottom
marked
Ribbon to tie sticks together or bag to hold sticks

Guessing the Stick

At least twenty sticks held in one hand by player. Player puts
sticks behind back, out of sight of other players. The player
separates the sticks into two bundles, one in each hand. The
player then briefly shows both bundles to other players
before putting behind back again.
Whoever guesses the exact amount of sticks in each bundle
wins a counting stick. There are four counting sticks. To win
the game a player must get three counting sticks at the
same time. Whenever a player guesses the number of sticks
right they get a counting stick. Once all four counting sticks
are out, the oldest counting stick is taken and given to new
winner. Students use intuition and observation to figure
amount of sticks.

Materials:
At least twenty sticks of similar size and appearance
Four smaller decorated sticks
Bag to hold sticks or ribbon to tie sticks together

Hoop and Long Arrow

Players line up on either side forming an aisle approximately
30 feet long and 10 feet wide. A decorated hoop is rolled
down aisle. Players throw spear or long arrow at hoop as it
passes them. Players score a point by stopping the hoop
with their spear or arrow. Hoop is thrown once from each
end of aisle, this is one round. At the end of each round each
player moves down two spaces to the left. The two players
at the end of the line move to the other end of the line.
Game can be played in four rounds or seven rounds. Player
with the most points at end of game wins. Smaller children
use bigger hoop, older children use smaller hoop.

Materials:
Rope hoop or wooden hoop
Material to cover hoop
Ribbon, yarn and beads to decorate hoop and spears
4-12 spears or long arrows
Ribbon to tie sticks and bag to hold

Double Ball
Less than 10 players – 1 double ball
More than 10 players – 2 double balls
Players divide into teams separated by headband/shirt/stick
color
Players will either have a designated goal/ target to hit to
score, or assign a teammate to whom they must pass the
double ball to score.
In a passing game once a player has the double ball on their
stick no contact can be made with the players body or stick.
The player with the double ball cannot move their feet, they
can only pass the double ball to a teammate.
In a running game players with the double ball may run as
well as pass.
Contact with players body and stick may or may not be
agreed to before game.
Games can be played by position as well, with only shooters
allowed to score, and only scrappers allowed to pick up the
loose double ball.
In games with more than one double ball, either double ball
can be used by either team, or each team has their own
double ball to use. When each team has it’s own double ball,
they can either focus on scoring theirs or on keeping the
other team from scoring theirs.

Materials:
Double ball
Willow branches or wooden dowels
Paint, ribbon, yarn and beads to decorate sticks
Headbands or shirts in red and in black for different teams

Stone People Game

Player one takes the four stones and sets them up in any
order they decide. Player two must then transport the stones
one at a time to another location. If player one puts them
back in the same order they win. If they can’t player two
wins.
For a more difficult version of the game, before player two
transports the stones they are mixed up. Once students
become proficient they can play with seven stones.

Materials:
Four smooth flat stones
Paint to decorate both sides of each stone
Bag to hold stones

Kickball Games
There are several different types of kickball games.
Footbag
Footbag is the same as hackey sack. A kick bag is tossed up
by one player, then the rest of the players must keep the
bag in the air by kicking it. Hitting with knees, chest,
shoulders and head is allowed.
The game can be played by elimination with the player who
drops the bag being out until only one player remains. It can
also be played with the winner being the player who hits the
bag the most times without it falling.
Kickball
Kickball is any version of a race in which a kickball or kick
bag is involved. The most basic version is a race to a set
marker and back to the beginning while kicking the ball. The
winner is the player who crosses the finish line with their ball
first. A more difficult version is an obstacle course race in
which the player must maneuver around the course while
kicking the ball or bag.

Materials:
A small ball
A kick bag (hacky sack) :
Two balloons
Rice, beans or sand
A woven round shaped sack
Thread and beads to decorate

Lacrosse
Players use stick to catch and pass the ball. Points are
scored by making a goal on the opposing teams goalie, or
making it into the shared goal.

Materials:
Sticks
Reeds to weave with
Ball

Hoop and Darts/Arrow

A hoop is decorated and string or ribbon intertwine to form a
pattern inside the hoop. The different designs/openings are
assigned different point values based on difficulty. An arrow
or dart is used to throw through the hoop and score points.
The dart or arrow is to be marked in the middle of the shaft,
and have a small hook on each side of it’s backend. The
hoop is thrown up and players, one at a time, try to throw
their dart or arrow through the hoop. Different point values
are assigned based on how the dart or arrow goes through
the hoop. If it goes through completely it gets the full point
value. If it’s hook gets stuck in the hoop it’s worth half the
point value.

Materials:
A small wooden hoop or rope hoop
Yarn, string, beads to decorate hoop
Darts or short arrows with a
small hook attached to back end