Choctaw (CHOCK-tah)
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Choctaw (CHOCK-tah) |
A fast and exciting game of stickbnall
There are many notable Native American athletes, but the team is often considered more important than the feats of the individual. On the Choctaw reservation in Philadelphia, Mississippi, children and adults play a team sport called kabocca, or stickball. Popular among Choctaws and other Indians in the Eastern United States for hundreds of years, stickball has been called “the little brother of war" because it was once used to settle disputes within and between tribes. Today, this rough-and-tumble game has few rules. Equipment includes handcrafted hickory sticks, or kaboccas, and a woven leather ball called a towa. Each team tries to advance the ball down the field to the other team’s goalpost using only their kaboccas, never touching the ball with their hands. Players depend on speed to avoid the manhandling tactics by opposing players. Points are scored when the towa strikes the opponent’s goalpost. The World Series Stickball Championship takes place during the annual Choctaw Fair in July. The Conehatta community has won a record 19 championships. |
Let’s explore Native American sports Various activities developed by Native Americans, including surfing, canoeing, snowshoeing, tobogganing, and kayaking, are popular sports today. Native people have long excelled at long distance running, still the most popular sport among Native Americans. Several groups, like the Choctaw, have teams, leagues, and tournaments for everything from basketball to dirt-bike racing. The Iroquois Nation’s lacrosse team is the only indigenous team that participates in worldwide competition, and lacrosse is part of the original Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) religion. The annual World Eskimo-Indian Olympics features the Knuckle Hop, Knee Jump, Four Man Carry, and other events that showcase strength, agility, and endurance, all necessary to survive in the Alaskan environment. Have the students research Native American sports, make a collage of their findings, and integrate a few into their gym class. Hold a Native American Sports Day and include some World Eskimo-Indian Olympics events. Let’s investigate mascots Many sports teams, such as the Braves and Redskins, have names and mascots that are derogatory to Native peoples. Charlene Teters, Spokane, led the movement to have teams change their names and cofounded the National Coalition on Racism in Sports and the Media. Today, Congress and many states have taken a stand against racist names and mascots. However, many institutions have refused to make changes. View the film In Whose Honor? (www.newday.com/films/InWhose Honor.html or 888-367-9154), or research mascot issues. Discuss the issues with the class. If your school or another school in your vicinity still has an offensive name, have the class write letters advocating a change. Making connections Students are probably familiar with famous Native American sports figures like Jim Thorpe (Sac and Fox) or Billy Mills (Lakota). There are many other Native athletes who have interesting stories, too. Have the students select a Native athlete to research and present to the group. Check the American Indian sports hall of fame on the Interneet or select one of the following: Notah Begay, Navajo: Harold “Chief Iron Bear” Collins, Lumbee; Gregory Frazier, Crow; Naomi Lang, Karuk; Angelita Rosal, Sious; Jackson Sundown, Nez Perce; Louis Tewanima, Hopi; and Joe Thornton, Cherokee. Suggested Resources |
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Children of Native America Today: An Activity and Resource Guide copyright 2003 Shakti for Children, Inc. |
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