POMO GAMES

MOST NATIVE TRIBES HAD A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT GAMES THAT THEY PLAYED. THEY PLAYED GAMES WITH SEVERAL MEMBERS AS WELL AS WITH THE ENTIRE TRIBE. ONE GAME THAT WAS PLAYED BY TWO WOMEN WAS THE ELDERBERRY STICK GAME. THE STICKS WERE BURNT TO MAKE A DESIGN ON ONE SIDE OF THEM. THESE STAVES WERE DECORATED WITH GEOMETRIC DESIGNS.

THE WOMEN TOSS 6 STAVES TO THE GROUND AND THEY GET SCORES BASED UPON BASED UPON WHICH STAVES SHOWED A DESIGN AS THEY TOSSED THEM TO THE GROUND. THEY CONTINUE TO PLAY THIS GAME AS LONG AS THEY WISH. ELDERBERRY STICKS WERE ALSO USED FOR THEIR FLUTES WHICH NOT ONLY MADE MUSIC BUT LURED GAME TO THEIR VILLAGES.

ANOTHER GAME WAS THE GRASS GAME WHICH WAS A GUESSING GAME. FOUR PLAYERS USE AND MAKE 2 PAIRS OF SHORT BONES ABOUT AS THICK AS A FINGER AND WRAP IT WITH SINEW. THERE ARE TWO PLAYERS ON EACH SIDE AND THEY HIDE THE BONES AND BET ON FINDING THEM. THE PLAYERS HIDE THE BONES IN GRASSES OR UNDER A BLANKET. THEY SING A GAMBLING SONG FOR GOOD LUCK AND TO CONFUSE THEIR OPPONENTS.

WHEN THE PLAYERS ARE READY TO FIND THE BOXES THEY SPIN THEIR HANDS IN FRONT OF THEIR CHEST. IF THE GUESS IS INCORRECT THEY RETAIN THE BONES FOR THE NEXT ROUND. IF THEY GUESS WHERE BOTH BONES ARE THE GUESSERS RECEIVE TWO COUNTERS AND THEY HAVE THE NEXT PLAY. IF NOT, THE SAME PLAYER HIDES THE BONES AGAIN. THE GAME CONTINUES UNTIL ONE TEAM HAS WON ALL THE COUNTING STICKS.

WOMEN'S DICE GAME - I HAVE SEEN THIS GAME PLAYED AT ANDERSON MARSH STATE PARK. IT IS PLAYED BY THE POMO, YOKUTS, AND MIWOK TRIBES. THEY PLAYED A DICE GAME FROM ACORN CAPS OR FROM SPLITTING A BLACK WALNUT IN HALF AND FILLING IT WITH PITCH AND SMALL BITS OF ABALONE SHELL. THE DICE WERE NUMBERED FROM 1-8 AND THROWN UPON A MAT. FOUR COMBINATIONS WERE RECOGNIZED IN SCORING. VARIOUS POINTS WERE ASSIGNED BASED UPON IF THE DICE LANDED WITH THEIR FLAT SIDE UP OR DOWN. THE GAME WAS PLAYED BY TWO WOMEN AND COULD CONTINUE FOR UP TO TWO DAYS AND TWO NIGHTS CONTINUOUSLY.