This excellent description of the rules and methods of the Flathead hand game was based upon fieldwork conducted by Merriam in Montana in the summer of 1950. The rules and practices are relatively similar to those played today by Salish and other tribes in the Northwest. There is also a recording of Flathead Slick Game Songs that can help you understand how it is played.2
The preliminaries to the game are informal, beginning with any individual who has the desire and enthusiasm to start a game. It is he who sets up the physical requirements for the game, which consist of two poles or boards of any convenient size and weight and perhaps ten to fifteen feet in length. These boards or poles are laid on the ground about five feet apart and parallel to each other.. . The first man on each side usually becomes the “captain” of his side, although this rule is not Inviolable; in any case, if he can write, he ordinarily takes the bets for his side and writes the names and amounts wagered on a piece of paper.
When the bets have become sufficient, or more exactly, when no more seem to be forthcoming, the players, including anyone who has bet and wishes to play, take sticks, any piece of wood of a convenient length for striking a rhythm on the pole or board in front of him, and sit down behind the parallel boards, the two sides thus facing each other. In general, the number of players on each side is eight to ten; the game may be played with as many players as desired, although one seldom sees more than a dozen or fewer than five players on each side.
The captain has charge of five wooden pegs, each about eight to ten inches long, sharpened at one end, and about three-quarters of an inch in diameter. These sticks are usually painted in bright colors and thus can be easily identified by the onlooker.
At the time the author was watching the stick game two sets of sticks seemed to be in most general use. In one of these all ten sticks were painted a light blue, and in the other all were painted in alternating red and yellow bands; in the latter case the alternations were reversed for the two sets of five sticks each, that is, in one case red and yellow, and in the other yellow and red. These five sticks on each side are stuck in the ground in front of the parallel poles, usually leaning away from the players.
Once the sticks have been settled, two sets of two bones each are displayed. These bones vary in size and to a certain extent in shape, depending upon whether they are men’s or women’s bones. Men’s bones, that is, bones which are used by men, are in general taken from the leg bone of a horse; they are approximately two and five-eighths inches long and an inch in diameter. The bones are highly polished and, in the instance of the most popular set used at the time of observation, were given a coating of light blue paint at the ends in a strip approximately a quarter of an inch wide. This particular set of men’s bones was part of a matching set of gambling equipment with the blue counting sticks referred to above; they were owned by one of the most persistent stick game gamblers on the reservation. While the marked bone was formerly distinguished by bands of sinew or rawhide wrapped around the middle, the moat common marking at present takes the form of three bands of black electrician’s tape each three-eighths of an inch wide and separated by an open space of about one-eighth inch.
Women’s bones, on the other hand, are considerably smaller, in deference, it is explained, to the fact that women’s hands are smaller than men’s. Often made from the leg bone of a deer, they are usually about two and a quarter inches long and three-quarters to seven-eighths of an inch in diameter. The marked bone is again distinguished by black electrician’s tape, but usually with only two bands instead of three…
There are at least two ways in which the game may be started, the first of which is perhaps more “proper” than the second. The “captain” of each side takes a pair of bones, that is, one marked and one unmarked bone, hides them in his fists in a manner to be described below, and once hidden, extends his fists in front of him and to the sides. Each “captain” then guesses the position of the unmarked bone held by the other; if each guesses correctly, or if each guesses incorrectly, it is a standoff and the process is repeated. However, if one guesses correctly and the other Incorrectly, the latter must give up his bones and one counting stick. Real play then begins. In the second possible starting play, one “captain,” usually the one who has begun the preliminaries by laying down his bet first, takes one set of bones and hides them. Holding one In each closed fist, he challenges his opposite number to guess the positions: if the guesser is correct, the bones and one counting stick go to his side. If he is incorrect, the process is reversed. This second method of beginning the game, which gives at least a psychological advantage to the side which holds the bones, is seldom used.
As soon as the first position of the bones has been determined by one of the methods described above, the side which has gained possession bursts into song, at the same time beating on the parallel board or pole with the short sticks picked up before the game. The “captain” holds both pairs of bones, and after some singing and pantomime, he throws one set to a person, perhaps keeping the other set himself or perhaps passing them also to another person. Those who receive the bones immediately drop their sticks and begin the elaborate pantomime which accompanies the hiding process. The selection of those who are to hide the bones is apparently purely arbitrary, although those who can manipulate them best, or those who are known to be lucky in the stick game, are obviously most often chosen.
The pantomime which accompanies the game takes several forms, and the ability of a player is often judged by the skill with which he hides the bones. Informants often said, “You have to know the motions to be a good stick game player.” At the same time, there seems to be no particular significance in any of the motions. The player is usually on his knees if a man, and sitting cross-legged if a woman. Men usually throw the bones in the air as a preliminary gesture, catch them, and bend over until the face is actually touching the ground, at this point hiding the bones behind the chest. One is then likely to straighten up again and show his opponents how he has held the bones, and repeat the process with variation. He may hold the bones behind his back, or quite characteristically, with his arms crossed and hands in the opposite armpits. Again, at the end of the preliminary motions, the final hiding often takes place under a hat or a handkerchief placed on the ground in front of the player. Women are most likely to manipulate the bones inside the shirtfront, under a shawl or handkerchief, or behind the back; they also often borrow a hat from a man under which the bones may be changed from hand to hand. One also frequently sees a woman holding a large handkerchief in her mouth, singing all the while, under which she hides the bones. During this preliminary play, the side with the bones is constantly singing, shouting, and insulting the players on the opposing side. The bones are constantly hidden, exposed to the view of the opposing players, and re-hidden; the preliminary play may continue for a full ten minutes in extreme cases.
In the meantime, the side which is to make the guess is silent for the most part. The actual guesser is most often the “captain,” although he may designate the responsibility to another person. . Characteristically, he points at one or the other of the players, using a particular gesture in which the left hand is brought sharply to the right shoulder, and as it hits the shoulder, the right arm extends from a position at which it is bent at the elbow. Thus it appears as though the striking by the left hand propels the right arm out straight. As the arm stretches out, the first finger only is extended, pointing toward one of the people who has the bones. This is then repeated to point at the other player, and may be repeated throughout the manipulation of the bones; such motions, however, do not constitute a real guess.
The two players with the bones work independently; when one is ready to accept a guess he signifies his intention by extending both arms away from his sides, the knuckles toward the guessers, thus hiding the bones in his clenched fists; the other player soon follows suit. In presenting the bones for guessing, one hand is sometimes extended while the other is crossed over the breast and concealed under the opposite armpit. The guess must be made rapidly or the bones will be withdrawn and the manipulation begun again. The guesser indicates his guess with the motion described above; in the case of a definite choice, the arm motion is accompanied by an audible grunt which signifies the final decision has been made. Four possible guesses may be made, all applying to both sets of bones: 1. if the guesser points to the right with the index finger, it indicates that he believes both unmarked bones are in his two opponents’ left hands; 2. if he points to the left, he signifies his decision that the two unmarked bones are in the players’ right hands; 3. if he points straight ahead with arm slanting toward the ground, he indicates his belief that the two unmarked bones are in the center; that is, in the right hand of the player to his right, and in the left hand of the player to his left; 4. if he extends the thumb and first finger, palm upward, with the other three fingers closed, he indicates his decision that the unmarked bones are on the outside; that is, in the left hand of the player to his right, and in the right hand of the player to his left.
Should the guesser make an incorrect guess on both bones, he must turn over two counting sticks to the opposing side; should he guess correctly on both, he receives both pairs of bones, but no sticks. If he guesses one set correctly, those bones are thrown over to him, but the other set is retained by the original side, and the guesser must give up one stick. In other words, possession of the bones lasts as long as the guesser is fooled; a wrong guess costs him a stick. The game can thus be won when one side has possession of but one set of bones, since before play can be begun by a side, it must win possession of both sets. When possession of both sets of bones has been won, the second side begins singing, beating the board, and hiding the bones.
In order to complete a game, one side must win all ten sticks, although each side begins the game with five. As noted above, the sticks are placed in the ground leaning away from the players and in front of the parallel board before them. As sticks are won, they are placed behind the board until all ten have been put in play; in this position they are either stuck in the ground again or laid in a neat pile. Once all ten sticks have been placed behind the parallel poles, the game is fully under way. Thus supposing that side A is in possession of the bones at the start of the game, and A makes six straight wins; this, of course, means it has won more sticks than are possessed by side B. In this case, side B throws over its five sticks, but on the sixth successful win. side A will take one stick from in front of the board and place it behind the board, thus putting a sixth stick in play. If then side A loses the bones and then makes an incorrect guess, it must pay with a fresh stick, not a stick it has won from side B.
Play is continued, then, until one side has won all ten sticks..
Empathy and a sort of “divination” play a part in the game. For example, when one side has but one stick left it is almost invariably stuck in front of the pole and pounded vigorously into the ground by the “captain”; this, of course, supposedly makes it harder for the other side to obtain possession. When one side has guessed and won one set of bones, those bones are thrown over immediately. Often the “captain” of the side will then manipulate them, although he, of course, must still obtain the other set; he may look at the bones in his hand, show them to the crowd and then make his guess according to the way his pair has fallen.
The stick game is played today by men only, women only, or mixed teams. Small children are encouraged to join in, and on many occasions the “captain” will throw the bones to children to hide, children so small that their fists barely cover the bones. On such an occasion, considerable encouragement is given the child.