14,000-year-old set of 13 bones seen at Lummi
A set of 14,000-year-old rodshaped bones now in the Washington State Historical Society Museum is evidence that it’s not just a saying, a Snoqualmie Tribe couple say.
The bones, found in the late ’80s with many other artifacts in Douglas County, are a complete set of sla-hal bones—the oldest found, said Marvin Kempf of Rockport.
Marvin and his wife, Michele, under the direction of Katherine Barker, a Snoqualmie Tribe elder and tribal archivist, were preparing Tuesday to present large photos of the bones at the evening’s Paddle to Lummi cultural presentations. The game, which combines songs, spirituality, intense competition and guesswork, links today’s tribal members with their ancient ancestors, the couple says. Tribes throughout the area still play sla-hal, often calling it by different names.
“We are still the same people we were 14,000 years ago,” Michele said. “And we’re playing the same game.”
Writerfella here --
ReplyDeleteAnd Plains Kiowans (among other tribes) have been playing the simple 'hand games' for a lot longer than 14,000 years. There is feasting and singing and dancing that accompanies these rites and the games can go on several hours or even over an entire weekend. Then there were the intertribal gaming and trading sessions that went on every spring with the Comanches, simply because it was a way of keeping peace between two tribes who never could defeat each other.
And so the Kiowa Tribe has purchased an aging tourist site here near Anadarko, called INDIAN CITY USA. Slowly, over time, the land will be filed for Trust status, the village tours and tourist hosting will go on, but eventually a magnificent casino will arise on the hill above the tiourist lodge and museum. Thus it is that gaming and gambling always were parts of Native cultures and only the emphasis on such is new...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
Writerfella here --
ReplyDeletePOSTSCRIPTUM: And the Kiowa Tribe nowhere should run afoul of the latest anti-casino forces' ploy about whether or not lands meet the criteria for Trust status. Both Anadarko and the Indian City USA area were smack in the middle of the original Wichita-Kiowa-Comanche-and-Apache reservation. At this point, Oklahoma holds some 90 Native casino operations, some large, most postage stamp in size. Expect that the Indian City Tonkawa-Keechi Hills Casino will be one of the larger ones.
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'