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Chunkey

Chunkey is a traditional Native American game that emerged around 600 CE during the early development of the Mississippian culture, particularly at the ancient city of Cahokia near modern-day St. Louis, Missouri, where players roll a polished stone disc across a prepared court and throw spears to land as close as possible to its stopping point without striking it.^[1]^[2] Played widely across the Eastern Woodlands and into the Great Plains by tribes such as the Ho-Chunk, Hidatsa, Mandan, and various Southeastern groups, chunkey served as both a competitive sport and a means of honing hunting skills by simulating the prediction of moving prey.^[3]^[2] The game typically involved two opponents taking turns: one rolls the disc—often made of stone or clay with a diameter of 2 to 4 inches—along a smooth, hard-packed dirt arena, while the other hurls a spear or pole to gauge its final position, with points awarded based on proximity.^[1]^[3] Archaeological evidence, including chunkey stones recovered from sites dating between AD 600 and 1600, underscores its prevalence during the Mississippian period (circa 700–1600 CE), a time of complex mound-building societies reliant on agriculture and extensive trade networks.^[2]^[3] As a popular spectator event, chunkey drew large crowds to open fields adjacent to communities, fostering social and political alliances through high-stakes betting that could involve personal possessions, family members, or even freedom; serious matches often featured ritual elements, such as participants donning ceremonial attire, face paint, and accessories.^[1]^[2] The game's endurance is evident in post-contact accounts, including observations by artist George Catlin in 1832 among Plains tribes, where it continued to symbolize skill, strategy, and cultural identity despite European influences.^[1] Variants persisted regionally, sometimes adapting to ice or snow surfaces, and chunkey stones remain key artifacts in understanding Mississippian elite practices and inter-tribal exchanges.^[3]

Origins and History

Pre-Columbian Origins

Chunkey originated in the Cahokia region of the American Bottom, near modern St. Louis, Missouri, around 600 CE, during the Late Woodland period transitioning into the early Mississippian culture. This emergence aligned with the initial development of complex societies in the Midwest, where communities began constructing large earthen mounds and fostering proto-urban centers. Archaeological finds of early discoidal stones, used as the game's rolling targets, indicate that chunkey likely evolved from simpler Woodland-era games involving poles and rings, adapting into a more formalized sport as social structures grew more hierarchical.^[4]^[5]^[6] As the Mississippian culture rose prominently from around 800 CE, chunkey became intertwined with the expansion of mound-building societies, exemplified by Cahokia's rapid growth into North America's largest pre-Columbian urban center by 1050 CE. The game played a role in the "Pax Cahokiana," a period of enforced regional peace and cultural unification spanning approximately 1050 to 1200 CE, during which Cahokian influence promoted alliances and reduced intergroup conflict across the Mississippi Valley. This stability facilitated the dissemination of chunkey as a unifying activity, symbolizing shared cultural practices among emerging chiefdoms.^[6]^[7] Early evidence from Cahokia's archaeological contexts, including refuse deposits and elite burial mounds, links chunkey to high-status activities and large-scale community gatherings. For instance, polished stone discoidals have been recovered from sites dating to the 800s CE, often in association with ceremonial structures, suggesting the game served as both recreation and a venue for social bonding among elites in these proto-urban settings. Such finds underscore chunkey's integration into the daily and ritual life of Mississippian communities, where it reinforced social hierarchies.^[6]^[7] The timeline of chunkey's initial adoption closely paralleled agricultural innovations in the region, particularly the onset of intensive corn (maize) cultivation around 900–1000 CE as a dietary staple. This shift, involving the adoption of drought-resistant Northern Flint varieties, supported population surges at sites like Cahokia and enabled the organization of communal events, including chunkey matches that drew participants from surrounding areas.^[8]^[7]

Spread and Regional Variations

Chunkey originated at the major Mississippian center of Cahokia in present-day Illinois around 600 CE and diffused widely across eastern North America through the Mississippi River Valley, reaching the Southeast, Great Plains, and as far as the Northeast by 1000–1500 CE, facilitated by trade networks and cultural interactions associated with the expanding Mississippian tradition.^[7] Archaeological evidence, including Cahokia-style discoidal stones—polished, biconcave artifacts used in the game—has been recovered from over 100 sites spanning these regions, indicating the game's role in disseminating Mississippian ideologies and technologies.^[5] For instance, at Cahokia's Mound 72, a burial cache dating to approximately 1050 CE contained 17 such stones alongside elite grave goods, suggesting chunkey's association with high-status exchanges that propelled its spread southward along riverine corridors to sites like Moundville in Alabama and Etowah in Georgia.^[6] Regional adaptations of chunkey reflected local environmental, social, and ceremonial contexts while maintaining core elements like rolling a stone disk and throwing poles to score points. In the Southeast, tribes such as the ancestors of the Choctaw and Cherokee emphasized gambling as a central feature, with games conducted on dedicated "chunky-yards"—rectangular clay or earthen courts up to 200 feet long—where players wagered possessions, livestock, or even personal freedom, turning matches into high-stakes social events that reinforced community bonds and resolved disputes.^[6] Artifacts from sites like Town Creek in North Carolina (ca. 1200–1400 CE) show localized stone styles, such as the Bradley type with convex faces, adapted for these intense competitions.^[5] On the Great Plains, groups like the Mandan integrated chunkey into ceremonial cycles, playing on timber-floored arenas or clay pavements within village complexes along the Missouri River, where the game symbolized renewal and was tied to seasonal rituals, as evidenced by discoidal stones from fortified Mandan-Hidatsa sites dating to 1200–1450 CE.^[6] These Plains variations often featured longer poles suited to open landscapes, contrasting with Southeastern enclosed courts. The game's dissemination served as a unifying activity that propagated broader Mississippian influences, including artistic motifs from the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex, such as birdman figures and cosmic symbols etched on chunkey-related effigies at sites like Spiro in Oklahoma (ca. 1250–1450 CE).^[7] Chunkey stones and playing fields appear in diverse contexts from Illinois to Florida, with examples at Lake George in Mississippi (ca. 1300 CE) and Hiwassee Island in Tennessee indicating participation by varied groups, including ancestors of the Cherokee, Choctaw, and Siouan-speaking peoples like the Ho-Chunk (related to Sioux forebears).^[5] In the Northeast, the Feurt style—perforated stones with incised decorations—found at Ohio Valley sites like Carter Robinson (ca. 1200–1550 CE) highlights further adaptations, possibly for ritual suspension or portability during migrations, underscoring chunkey's adaptability in fostering intercultural ties across pre-contact North America.^[5]

Gameplay

Rules and Objectives

The objective of chunkey is for players to roll a disc-shaped stone along a prepared field and then throw spears or poles to land as close as possible to the point where the stone comes to rest.^[9]^[10] The game emphasizes accuracy in anticipating the stone's stopping position, as its path can curve due to terrain irregularities.^[11] Scoring is based on proximity, with the closest throw to the stone earning one point per round.^[10]^[12] Variations exist across tribes: among the Cherokee, points are awarded for the nearest landing without touching the stone, while Chickasaw and some Southeastern groups grant additional points or victory for directly hitting the stone.^[3]^[5] Games typically continue until one side reaches a predetermined score, such as 10 or 11 points.^[12]^[10] Chunkey is often played by two teams of equal numbers, with sides alternating turns to roll the stone and throw; individual matches between two opponents are also common, particularly in Cherokee traditions.^[9]^[10] Each round begins with one player or team member rolling the stone, followed immediately by throws from the opposing side to predict and target its stop.^[11]^[4] The game demands precision in throwing, speed in execution, and strategic foresight to account for the stone's unpredictable roll on potentially uneven surfaces.^[13]^[10] Success relies on skill rather than strength alone, as underhand throws must embed or slide the pole effectively near the target.^[11]

Field and Competition Format

Chunkey matches were conducted on long, straight arenas known as chunkey yards, typically ranging from 200 to 600 feet (60 to 180 meters) in length and 20 to 50 feet (6 to 15 meters) wide, surfaced with packed earth, sand, or clay to ensure a smooth rolling path for the stone.^[5] These fields were often centrally located within villages or plazas, with some major sites like Cahokia featuring expansive areas up to approximately 40 acres (16 hectares) that included surrounding terraces for spectators, allowing for large-scale gatherings.^[14] In certain regional variations, such as among the Muskogee, fields could extend up to 900 feet (275 meters) long and were sunk below earthen banks for better viewing.^[5] The setup of these fields involved clearing and leveling the ground, sometimes paving it with clay, and marking the ends with posts or lines to define the playing boundaries.^[5] A designated individual, often a neutral observer or official, would roll the chunkey stone from one end of the field, while players positioned at the opposite end prepared to throw their poles; outcomes were determined by measuring the proximity of the thrown poles to the stopped stone, with spectators or officials verifying distances.^[5] Competitions varied in scale, from informal village games involving quick rounds between two players to elaborate inter-tribal tournaments that drew participants and crowds from distant communities, emphasizing communal bonding through multi-day events interspersed with rituals and pageantry.^[11]^[5] These larger tournaments, akin to regional spectacles, could span several days with breaks for ceremonies, contrasting the brevity of casual matches resolved in sets to 11 or 12 points.^[5] Participants were typically adult men, who competed bare-handed without protective gear to showcase agility and precision, while women and children primarily acted as spectators along the field edges; however, some accounts describe variants where all ages and genders joined in less formal play.^[5]^[15]

Equipment

The Chunkey Stone

The chunkey stone, also known as a discoidal, is a flat, disc-shaped artifact central to the ancient Native American game of chunkey, typically featuring concave or biconvex faces that were polished for smooth rolling across prepared surfaces. While most chunkey stones were made of durable rock, variants using clay or wood are also documented in some regions.^[16]^[17]^[10] These stones generally measure 3 to 6 inches (7.6 to 15 cm) in diameter and 0.5 to 2 inches (1.3 to 5 cm) in thickness, with variations in rim edges—ranging from sharp to rounded—and overall profile to influence their trajectory and stopping point.^[16]^[10] Primarily crafted from durable lithic materials such as sandstone, quartzite, granite, chert, marble, slate, or diorite, chunkey stones were shaped using stone hammers and abrasives to achieve their precise form, reflecting skilled craftsmanship in pre-Columbian societies.^[16]^[17] These materials were selected for their density and polishability, ensuring the stones could withstand repeated use in competitive settings across the Eastern Woodlands.^[16] In gameplay, the chunkey stone served as the rolling target, rolled by hand along a flat court to mimic an erratic moving object, challenging players to hurl spears with precision as it came to an unpredictable halt.^[17]^[10] Its design promoted fairness and skill-testing dynamics, integral to the game's objective of landing closest to the stone's stop.^[16] Regional variations in chunkey stones included distinct styles such as the Cahokia type—thin, concave, and 3 inches (7-8 cm) in diameter, widespread from the Midwest to the Southeast between AD 900 and 1400—and the larger Davidson style, up to 6 inches (13-15 cm) across and thicker, associated with Tennessee sites from the 1300s onward.^[16] Heavier variants, like those in the Bradley style (3-4 cm thick), appeared in southeastern contexts post-1000 AD.^[16] Often held as communal property by villages and stored in ceremonial or elite locations due to their political and religious importance, these stones underscored chunkey's role beyond mere recreation.^[16]

Throwing Implements

The primary throwing implements in chunkey were long wooden spears or poles, typically measuring 6 to 10 feet (1.8 to 3 meters) in length, designed for players to hurl toward the rolling chunkey stone.^[10]^[18] These were crafted from durable hardwoods such as hickory, ash, or poplar, selected for their straight grain and flexibility to withstand repeated impacts during play.^[10]^[7] In historical accounts from Southeastern tribes like the Choctaw and Cherokee, the spears featured simple, tapered shafts with rounded ends, sometimes incorporating grooves along the length—such as four at the tip, two midway, and one at the midpoint—to aid in scoring by marking proximity to the stone upon landing.^[7] Archaeological evidence for these implements is scarce, as wood rarely preserves in the soil, but elite variants appear in Mississippian contexts at sites like Cahokia's Mound 72, where a copper sheath artifact was discovered adjacent to chunkey stones, possibly related to a high-status throwing implement.^[7] Some designs may have included notches or reinforced tips for enhanced grip or penetration, particularly in competitive play among nobility, though direct wooden examples remain elusive.^[7] In modern revivals among Cherokee communities, players often craft their own spears from locally available woods, wrapping the handles with leather or sinew for better control during throws.^[10] Players employed dynamic throwing techniques, launching the spears overhand or sidearm while running alongside the rolling stone to predict its stopping point and embed or position the implement as close as possible.^[19] This required precise balance, momentum, and anticipation, with the spear often sticking into the ground or sliding to a halt near the target.^[10] Maintenance involved periodic repairs by skilled community members, such as straightening warped shafts or replacing damaged tips between matches, ensuring the implements remained functional for intense, prolonged games.^[7] Occasional engravings on preserved examples or related artifacts hint at symbolic value, though details vary by region and era.^[7]

Cultural Significance

Chunkey played a vital role in social integration among Native American communities, particularly in the Mississippian culture, by fostering alliances between tribes through intertribal tournaments held in ceremonial plazas. These gatherings drew participants and spectators from distant villages, promoting peaceful interactions and non-violent dispute resolution as an alternative to warfare, while building mutual respect among skilled players.^[20]^[21] Economically, chunkey was characterized by high-stakes gambling that facilitated wealth transfer and resource exchange across groups. Players frequently wagered personal possessions such as clothing, tools, and even their freedom or livelihoods, with outcomes leading to significant redistribution of goods. The intensity of these bets sometimes resulted in severe consequences, including suicides among those who suffered devastating losses due to the profound shame attached to defeat.^[7]^[10]^[22] Skilled chunkey players achieved elevated status as community heroes, their prowess symbolizing endurance, accuracy, and valor, which often translated into broader prestige and influence. Victors were celebrated through communal recognition, including songs and narratives that immortalized their feats, and in some cases, this acclaim positioned them for leadership roles within elite circles. Archaeological evidence, such as chunkey stones found in high-status contexts, underscores how elites appropriated the game to reinforce their authority.^[7]^[23]^[5] The game was primarily a male domain, restricted to men and boys who demonstrated physical stamina comparable to elite athletes, while women were often excluded from participation and even spectatorship in certain contexts. This gender dynamic reinforced communal values of endurance, fairness, and competitive spirit, embedding chunkey as a rite that upheld masculine ideals within society.^[7]^[13]

Religious and Mythological Connections

Chunkey held profound ties to the mythological frameworks of Mississippian cultures, particularly through the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex (SECC), where the game featured as a divine gift or ritual test associated with celestial and heroic narratives. Artifacts such as shell gorgets and copper plates from sites like Cahokia and Spiro depict chunkey players as falcon dancers or warriors embodying the Red Horn cycle, a mythic tradition among Siouan-speaking peoples involving hero twins who contend with giants and thunder beings in contests symbolizing death and rebirth.^[7] In these stories, thunder beings—often represented as thunderbirds—bestow the game as a means of testing human prowess and cosmic order, with broken sticks evoking scalps from victorious battles or fragments of cosmic conflicts between upper and lower worlds.^[7]^[24] The game was deeply integrated into ceremonial practices, often performed during solstices, harvests, or renewal rituals to invoke fertility, victory, and communal harmony. Among Southeastern tribes, chunkey featured in events like the Creek Busk or Green Corn Ceremony, where play aligned with seasonal cycles to ensure agricultural bounty and spiritual purification.^[7] Ceremonial fields, or chunk yards, at major centers such as Cahokia reflected the Mississippian worldview that linked human activities to celestial movements for maintaining cosmic balance.^[7] Spiritually, chunkey symbolized the unpredictability of life and the interplay of dualities, with the rolling stone disc serving as an analog for the sun or moon traversing the sky, embodying cycles of creation, motion, and renewal. Engraved motifs on stones, such as crosses representing the four directions, underscored this as a microcosm of the universe, where the game's chance outcomes mirrored existential uncertainties and the balance between life and death.^[5] Losers' humiliation often tied into purification rites, reinforcing themes of sacrifice and rebirth central to Mississippian cosmology.^[7] Elite figures, including priests and chiefs, participated in sacred variants of chunkey, transforming the game into a tool for divination and prophecy within ritual contexts. At sites like Cahokia, these leaders oversaw high-stakes matches linked to political alliances and spiritual authority, where outcomes were interpreted as omens guiding community decisions or affirming divine favor.^[7]^[25] Such involvement elevated chunkey beyond recreation, embedding it in the hierarchical and prophetic dimensions of indigenous spirituality.^[7]

Evidence and Artifacts

Archaeological Discoveries

Archaeological evidence for chunkey primarily consists of polished stone discoidals, known as chunkey stones, recovered from Mississippian period sites across the eastern United States, dating from approximately 900 to 1500 CE. These artifacts, typically 2 to 6 inches in diameter and made from materials like sandstone, limestone, quartzite, granite, or marble, were often found in groups suggesting communal use and ritual significance. Over 100 such stones have been documented in caches at various sites, indicating deliberate deposition rather than casual discard. Chunkey stones exhibit stylistic variations, such as the early Cahokia-style (900s-1400s CE) and later Bradley-style (1000-1700 CE), reflecting regional adaptations.^[5] At Cahokia Mounds in Illinois, excavations in Mound 72 uncovered approximately 14 chunkey stones associated with elite burials around 1050 CE, including a copper sheath likely used to cover a throwing implement, highlighting the game's ties to high-status individuals and funerary rituals. Radiocarbon dating of associated cedar poles and organic remains confirms these deposits occurred between 970±50 and 1020±55 CE, within the Classic Mississippian period. Similar caches at Cahokia suggest ritual deposition linked to political and cosmological symbolism.^[7]^[5] Spiro Mounds in Oklahoma yielded at least three chunkey stones from the Craig Mound, dated to 1050–1300 CE, often in mortuary contexts that underscore the game's role in elite ceremonies. These finds, part of broader artifact assemblages including pipes and gorgets, point to widespread Mississippian practices.^[5] In Georgia, Etowah Mounds produced larger chunkey stones, including three from the nearby King site around the mid-1500s CE.^[5] Preservation challenges include erosion and reuse of stones in later contexts, with wooden throwing poles rarely surviving due to organic decay; however, radiocarbon dating of associated burials and features has established their chronological span and elite associations across regions.^[5]

Iconographic Representations

Iconographic representations of chunkey appear prominently in Mississippian period art from approximately 1200 to 1500 CE, capturing the game's dynamic action and symbolic importance through various mediums. Shell gorgets, crafted from marine shells and engraved with intricate designs, frequently depict players in mid-throw poses, often adorned with elaborate headdresses, feathered elements, and trophy-like accessories such as severed heads or ceremonial maces.^[7] Copper plates, repoussé and sometimes engraved, illustrate similar scenes of athletes hurling poles toward rolling stone discs, emphasizing the precision and intensity of the contest.^[26] Pottery vessels, less common but notable, incorporate chunkey motifs alongside cosmic symbols like eye-like patterns or crosses, portraying players in ritualistic contexts.^[7] Central motifs in these artworks include human figures poised to throw at a rolling disc, frequently accompanied by supernatural beings such as falcon warriors or serpents that frame the scene, suggesting a blend of physical sport and spiritual narrative.^[7] For instance, the Snell, Potter, and Douglass gorgets from Mississippian sites in the Southeast show chunkey players with bell-shaped aprons and forelock beads, evoking athletic prowess amid mythological elements.^[7] At Tennessee's Castalian Springs site, a Braden-style shell gorget illustrates team confrontations with figures holding maces and severed heads, highlighting competitive tension and ritual stakes.^[7] Other examples, like the Eddyville gorget from Kentucky and the Magnum copper plate from Mississippi, feature players with side-lock beaded hair and moccasins, capturing the motion of the game.^[26] These depictions underscore chunkey's role in emphasizing athleticism and drawing parallels to warfare, where the game served as a ritualized substitute for conflict, promoting cosmic balance and social order.^[26] Broken poles in some motifs symbolize defeat and humiliation, often linked to severe consequences like decapitation for losers, reinforcing the game's high stakes.^[7] Such imagery, distributed through extensive trade networks centered at sites like Cahokia, connected distant communities and propagated shared iconographic traditions.^[7] Regional variations in style reflect localized mythologies and artistic preferences, with Southeastern gorgets exhibiting more elaborate details, such as encompassing serpents or solar motifs tied to celestial worship.^[26] In contrast, Midwestern engravings on copper and shell tend toward simpler forms influenced by cycles like that of the hero Red Horn, integrating chunkey scenes with broader narratives of heroism and the afterlife.^[7] These differences highlight how the game adapted to regional cultural contexts while maintaining core Southeastern Ceremonial Complex elements.^[26]

Post-Contact Legacy

European Observations

One of the earliest European accounts of chunkey came from French colonist Antoine-Simon Le Page du Pratz, who in the 1720s observed Natchez men in Louisiana playing a game involving a rolled disc-shaped stone toward which players hurled poles to land as close as possible after it stopped.^[27] His 1758 Histoire de la Louisiane detailed the Natchez version as a competitive activity requiring precision and skill, often played on prepared earthen courts.^[27] In 1775, British trader James Adair, who lived among southeastern tribes including the Cherokee and Chickasaw for over three decades, described the game as "Chungke" in his The History of the American Indians. He portrayed it as "running hard labor," emphasizing the strenuous footrace to position and throw poles at the rolling stone, with players betting heavily on outcomes. Adair noted its popularity across tribes, where matches could last hours and involve communal participation. George Catlin provided vivid 19th-century documentation of chunkey among the Mandan in 1832. His oil painting Tchung-kee, a Mandan Game Played with a Ring and Pole depicts players in motion, while his 1841 Letters and Notes on the Manners, Customs, and Condition of the North American Indians recounts a full match, describing the use of 6-foot poles tipped with leather strips thrown at a rolling stone or ring for accuracy.^[28] Catlin highlighted the game's elegance and athleticism, with teams alternating throws in a test of speed and coordination. Among southeastern tribes such as the Muscogee (Creek), chunkey stones served as communal property owned by the town or clan, underscoring the game's role in fostering social bonds rather than individual ownership.^[29] European observers consistently reported chunkey's enduring popularity amid colonization, yet the tradition persisted as a cultural anchor. Gambling remained a core element.

Modern Revivals and Preservation

In the late 2000s, Cherokee communities in Oklahoma began reviving chunkey through efforts to recreate traditional equipment and rules, with artisan Matt Girty crafting replica stones from granite, steatite, and sandstone starting in 2005 to facilitate smoother rolling on modern surfaces.^[10] These initiatives emphasized cultural education, drawing on historical accounts to standardize play without gambling, where a stone is rolled across a flat grassy field and competitors throw 8-foot hickory spears to land closest to its stopping point, with games concluding at 11 points.^[10] By 2017, the Cherokee Nation incorporated chunkey into the annual Cherokee National Holiday in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, hosting the first tournament divisions for men, women, and children, organized by citizen Jim Cosby using research-derived rules and custom-carved stones by Girty and Eddie Morrison.^[30] Among Choctaw groups in Oklahoma, revival efforts gained momentum in 2014 when the Choctaw Nation hosted its first modern achahpi (chunkey) games on the lawn of their Durant headquarters, with Chief Gary Batton emerging as the winner in a demonstration involving rolled wheel-shaped stones and pole throws.^[31] Additional sessions followed weekly behind the headquarters, led by figures like David Batton who displayed authentic-style stones, aiming to reconnect youth with ancestral practices through hands-on play.^[31] Modern adaptations in Choctaw contexts include simplified versions for education, such as using frisbees and dowel rods on 100-foot clay fields to teach physics principles like momentum while preserving the core objective of scoring by striking or closest proximity to the target.^[32] Preservation initiatives have involved archaeological collaborations, such as demonstrations by the Cahokia Archaeological Society at events like their 2017 Archaeology Day, where experts like Ken Williams explained chunkey's role in Mississippian culture using replica implements to bridge historical artifacts with contemporary understanding.^[33] These programs, tied to sites like Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, support cultural revitalization by integrating chunkey into interpretive exhibits and community workshops.^[33] Educational integration has extended to school curricula, with organizations like the National Indian Education Association offering grades 6-12 activities that simulate chunkey to explore Mississippian history and Indigenous science, often alongside videos of traditional play.^[34] Similarly, Montessori programs incorporate chunkey lessons using hoop-and-stick setups to teach skill-building and cultural heritage, fostering youth engagement in Native traditions.^[35] As of 2025, chunkey remains active among Cherokee and Choctaw communities in Oklahoma, as well as the Eastern Band of Cherokee in North Carolina, where it features in events like the annual Cherokee Indian Fair, with ongoing tournaments at cultural festivals and a dedicated online community via the Cherokee Chunkey Players group sharing practice tips and event updates.^[36]^[37] Digital resources, including instructional videos from the Cherokee Nation on YouTube, have broadened global interest by demonstrating rules and historical context, aiding broader cultural preservation amid revitalization movements.^[38]

References

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January 2011 Native American Gaming Stones
Chunkey is believed to have originated around 600 A.D. in the ancient Native American city of Cahokia, in the area of now modern day St. Louis, Missouri ( ...
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May 14, 2025 · It is believed that the Mississippian people started playing the game at around 600 CE. Chunkey was a widely popular spectator sport with large ...
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Games - Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center | UW-La Crosse
In the La Crosse area, a game piece called a chunkey stone has been recovered from archaeological site that dates back to between AD 1300-1600.
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Chunkey was played between two opponents, one rolling a stone disc across the ground and the other throwing a spear in an attempt to place the spear as close ...
[5]
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Regardless, it is clear from the historical evidence that games in the chunkey tradition were played across much of the Eastern Woodlands at contact, and ...
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Sep 24, 2021 · With the start of the Mississippian period, ca. , the archaeological record suggests the. game of chunkey transformed ...
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[PDF] Chunkey: A deadly sport for heroes and the spread of corn culture ...
Dec 5, 2024 · The game is thought to have originated at Cahokia c. 600 CE, was popular among many Native nations, and is still played today. Although the ...
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Cahokia's rise parallels onset of corn agriculture - Illinois News Bureau
May 14, 2020 · Corn cultivation began in the vicinity of the city of Cahokia between AD 900 and 1000, researchers report in a new study.
[9]
An Ancient Version of Football? | South Carolina State Museum
While the rules of chunkey can vary slightly, the game generally begins with a person throwing or rolling the stone disk down a playing field roughly the size ...
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Aug 27, 2020 · Chunkey, an ancient Native American game, is played with two people competing to land a spear closest to a rolling chunkey stone.Missing: Chickasaw | Show results with:Chickasaw
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Oct 17, 2019 · One or multiple players from the opposing side would then throw sticks (also called chunkey) underhanded at the stone, aiming to get as close ...
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Only two men would play the chunkey game at a time. One would roll the stone and then both men would throw their sticks. In the Cherokee game, the score was ...
[13]
Chunkey | Chickasaw.tv
Two warriors, two spears and one stone make up the game and the goal is to land your spear tip as close to the stone as possible. Chunkey requires stamina, and ...
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A George Catlin painting portrays game playing among the Mandan tribe on the Great Plains. Object Source: Illinois State Museum. Period: On the Eve of ...
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The game involved rolling the discoidal along the ground and throwing or sliding 2 metre-long hand-thrown spears (chunkey sticks) after it on the hard-packed ...Missing: implements | Show results with:implements
[18]
https://stonetoolsmuseum.com/artefact/north-america/discoidal/1807/
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600 (DeBoer, 1993; Pauketat, 2004, 2009; Perino, 1971). Among the motifs ... 20), effected through the spread of what he has termed the pax Cahokia.
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The sport was not only played for recreation, but also to settle disputes and spread regional culture. Evidence of chunkey has been found hundreds of miles from ...
[21]
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The game would often continue until both players were exhausted. The game originated about 600 CE in the Cahokia region that is now near St. Louis, Missouri ...
[22]
None
Summary of each segment:
[23]
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Red Horn legends of the Ho-Chunk and Winnebago tribes include adventures with Turtle and the thunderbird and battles against a race of giants. The above picture ...
[24]
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To play chunkey, you roll a stone across a field and then try to throw ... Cahokia that align with astronomical features. Ochre: a red pigment made from ...
[25]
(PDF) Chunkey and the Historic Experience in the Mississippian World
Chunkey stones, used in a game over 800 years ago, reflect elite social practices in Mississippian culture. The archaeological record reveals a complex ...
[26]
None
### Summary of Iconographic Representations of Chunkey Players in Mississippian Art
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Tchung-kee, a Mandan Game Played with a Ring and Pole
George Catlin, Tchung-kee, a Mandan Game Played with a Ring and Pole, 1832-1833, oil on canvas, 19 5⁄ 8 x 27 1⁄ 2 in. (49.7 x 70.0 cm), Smithsonian American ...Missing: Chunkey | Show results with:Chunkey
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Two games—chunkey and stickball—served important social and cultural roles, and some athletes even became celebrities and were a source of community pride.
[30]
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Sep 8, 2017 · Chunkey tournament winners in the women's division were first-place Charlotte Wolfe, second-place Clarissa Eagle and third-place Tracey Eagle.
[32]
[PDF] BISKINIK - Choctaw Nation
Nov 7, 2014 · Achahpi: Ancient game renewed. David Batton shows an achahpi stone which was used to play a version of this anceint game on the lawn of Choctaw ...<|separator|>
[33]
[PDF] Achopi: A Game of Skill and Luck
The Choctaw were one of the last Nations to cease playing Achopi, or “chunkey,” in the mid-1800s. An Achahpi field is 12 feet wide and 100 feet long. The field ...
[34]
Ken Williams explaining the game Chunkey at Cahokia Archaeology ...
Aug 5, 2017 · Cahokia Archaeological Society. Aug 5, 2017󰞋󱟠. 󰟝. Ken Williams explaining the game Chunkey at Cahokia Archaeology Society's Archaeology Day ...Missing: programs | Show results with:programs
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Grades 6-12 Student-Centered Digital Learning Activities
Activities include playing Chunkey, a Native science experiment, learning about Joy Harjo, exploring Two Spirit people, and making Cherokee bean bread.<|separator|>
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https://www.facebook.com/groups/318141841873952/
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Cherokee Chunkey Players (ᏣᎳᎩ ᏨᏂᎩ ᏗᎾᏁᎶᎲᏍᎩ)
Chunkey was played in huge arenas as large as 47 acres that housed great audiences designed to bring people of the region together (i.e. Cahokians, farmers, ...Free... Shows · 😎 · Small Stone Discoidal...Missing: multi- | Show results with:multi-
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Cherokee Traditional Games: Chunkey - YouTube
Feb 19, 2021 · It's time for another episode of Cherokee Traditional Games! Join us as we highlight the game of Chunkey, discuss its history and ...