The Northwest Coast Indians played games with a passion. The so-called stick game was one of the favorites. A participant could lose all his possessions in this guessing game. The Haida called the game "Ssin,' which means maple, one of the types of wood from which the sticks were carved. The sticks shown are 13 ern (5 inches) long, and the rawhide bag contains 73 pieces. (NMM)
NMM = National Museum of Man, Ottawa
The Northwest Coast Indians played games with a passion. The so-called stick game was one of the favorites. A participant could lose all his possessions in this guessing game. The Haida called the game "Ssin,' which means maple, one of the types of wood from which the sticks were carved. The sticks shown are 13 ern (5 inches) long, and the rawhide bag contains 73 pieces. (NMM)
NMM = National Museum of Man, Ottawa