Slahal

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A team will play with two sets of bones, each set having one with a stripe and one without.

Slahal (Lahal) is the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast gambling game known as stickgame, bonegame, bloodless war game or a name specific to each language. It is played up and down the Pacific Northwest Coast by indigenous peoples. The name of the game is a Chinook Jargon word. The name bone game comes from the fact that the bone sets were historically and sometimes used by the shin bones of a deer or other animal.

The game is played with two opposing teams. There is two sets of "bones", and two sets of sticks, numbering from 7-11 for each team. When a game is in play, one of the two teams will have two sets of "bones", shown above. When your team is guessing, you objective is to get the right bone, the one without the stripe. When you have the bones, your objective is to make sure the other team guesses wrong on the bones set. When the other team guesses wrong, you gain a point. When a team has the two sets of bones, two individuals will hide the bones and swap them around from hand to hand. Eventually the bones are brought forward, but are concealed as to now show the other team what one has a stripe on it. The game is usually accompanied by drumming and singing used to boost morale of the team. The side that has the bone sings, while the other tries to guess. The musical accompaniment is also sometimes used to taunt the other team. Gambling could be done by players, or spectators of a match. Placing bets on teams, or individual matches within the game between one guess and the other teams bone hiders.

[edit] See also

Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast

[edit] References

Burke Musieam in Seattle Washington - Slahal Set from Puget Sound. Retrieved February 19th, 2008.
Hill-tout, Charles. "Salish People: Volume II: the Squamish and the Lillooet". Talonbooks, 1978. ISBN 0889221499