What did the Chinook play?

Answer 1

During the long wet winters, the Chinook held up in their long houses, mending tools and playing games.

The mens favorite game was called hide-the-disk. A mat is placed on the floor with the centre raised up to form a small ridge, which is kept in place with four wooden pins stuck through the mat into the ground. Two persons play seated at each end of the mat. Each player has ten discs of wood, two inches in diameter. The only distinguishing feature about these discs is the different colors at the edges. There are but two discs of value; one has a black edge, and the other is perfectly plain, while the others have different quantities of color on them, varying from the black to the white. These discs are then hidden in a sack, twisted, shuffled and separated into two equal parts still inside the sack. These are then rapidly moved about on the mat from side to side, the other player keeping his eyes most intently fixed upon them all the time. He has bet either on the black or the white one, and now, to win, has to point out which of the two parcels contains it. As soon as he makes his selection, which is done by a gesture of his hand, the parcel is opened, and each piece is rolled down the mat to the ridge in the center. He can thus see the edges of all, and knows wheth er he has lost or won.


The womens' favorite game is called roll-the-dice. A sort of dice is made of beaver's teeth with hieroglyphics carved on each side. These are shaken in the hand, and thrown down, the game being according to the marks on the teeth, as the spots are counted on dice.

Answer 2

They played Lacrosse when it was warm and roll the dice and hide the disk when it was cold.