Copyright © 2002 NLThomas
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Tahlequah, OK - On Saturday, October 12, the Cherokee Heritage Center will present another in its series of Cherokee Games from 1 to 4 p.m. on Cherokee Heritage Grounds. The Gannet Foundation sponsors the Cherokee Games. Chunkey was played with some variation by almost all of the southeastern Indians including Cherokee.

All of the games made use of a smooth stone disk usually with concave sides and two long slender poles. Usually only two persons played at one time but the onlookers wagered on the game. The game was played by rolling a stone disk along a smooth piece of ground and two players throwing their poles after it with the idea of either hitting the stone or coming as near as possible to it when the stone came to a rest.

The sticks were about eight feet long greased with bear grease and had several marks along their length. When the stone stopped nearest to one of the players' poles, the count was made according to the marks on the pole. The stones, made of hard quartz, were considered very valuable because they were difficult to make. They were perfectly finished and never belonged to an individual person but to the town as a whole.

To sign up to participate or more information, call Tonia, phone: 918-456-6007.