Cherokee marbles (ᏗᎦᏓᏲᏍᏗ, ''digadayosdi''), or five hole is a traditional game among the

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, th ...

people of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

, in which players roll small stone balls between five shallow pits dug into a playing field. Today, the game is commonly played with

billiard balls A billiard ball is a small, hard ball used in cue sports, such as carom billiards, pool, and snooker. The number, type, diameter, color, and pattern of the balls differ depending upon the specific game being played. Various particular ball pr ...

. The game may be played in individual or team play, and in this century, has been introduced into the curricula of students attending schools in the

Cherokee Nation The Cherokee Nation (Cherokee: ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ ''Tsalagihi Ayeli'' or ᏣᎳᎩᏰᎵ ''Tsalagiyehli''), also known as the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. It ...

. There is also a national tournament held annually during the Cherokee National Holiday.

History

The origin of this traditional Cherokee game is unknown, and it is not mentioned in the works of ethnologist

James Mooney James Mooney (February 10, 1861 – December 22, 1921) was an American ethnographer who lived for several years among the Cherokee. Known as "The Indian Man", he conducted major studies of Southeastern Indians, as well as of tribes on the ...

. Cherokee marbles is a game similar to rolley hole,Shockley, Linda
''A Game of Rolley Hole''
September–November issue; (2008); ''Grit Magazine''; accessed November 2020 an

Anglo-America Anglo-America most often refers to a region in the Americas in which English is the main language and British culture and the British Empire have had significant historical, ethnic, linguistic, and cultural impact."Anglo-America", vol. 1, Micr ...

n game comprising at least two teams of

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorpho ...

players, although the dimensions are different and rolley hole uses three holes instead of five. Cherokee marbles incorporates elements which are also found in such diverse games as

croquet Croquet ( or ; french: croquet) is a sport that involves hitting wooden or plastic balls with a mallet through hoops (often called "wickets" in the United States) embedded in a grass playing court. Its international governing body is the W ...

bocce ball (, or , ), sometimes anglicized as bocce ball, bocci or boccie, is a ball sport belonging to the boules family. Developed into its present form in Italy, it is closely related to British bowls and French , with a common ancestry from ancien ...

, and

billiards Cue sports are a wide variety of games of skill played with a cue, which is used to strike billiard balls and thereby cause them to move around a cloth-covered table bounded by elastic bumpers known as . There are three major subdivisions ...

. In the early 21st century, the game was introduced into public schools in northeast Oklahoma, by the

, as part of a program to discourage

methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Meth ...

abuse.

The game

Cherokee marbles was traditionally played with round balls made of stone. Today

are typically used, with a favorite being the cue ball. An annual tournament is held during Cherokee National Holiday each

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United ...

weekend.

Rules

The game is played on a field about 100 feet in length and shaped like an "L" with five shallow holes, about two inches in diameter, approximately 10 to 12 feet apart, the fifth hole being located at the end of the long arm of the "L." To determine who starts, players stand at the second hole and throw a marble back at the first hole. The first to get their marble in the hole becomes the start player for the main game. Players move to the start line and take turns rolling their marble. Once a player's marble has reached the second hole, they are permitted to hit opponents' marbles out of the way. To win, a player's marble must visit all five holes in sequence, then travel back through the first four holes, ending back at the first.

Players

There can be any number of individual players however during team competitions each team must have an equal number of participants. In today's tournaments a three person team is preferred. There is an official rulebook which is used in tournament play.''Cherokee Marbles Training Underway''
Cherokee.org; accessed ???; DEAD LINK

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cherokee Marbles Native American sports and games Ball games Precision sports Lawn games Throwing games Cherokee culture

History

The game

Rules

Players

See also

References