Johnson has been producing and directing films since 1983, including the audiovisual images for the acclaimed "Sacred Encounters" exhibit, which received the Golden Muse Award of the American Association of Museums in recognition for the best audiovisual program in 1995. Johnson indicated his intent to further trim down the video to some sixty minutes or so. Our viewing was a close-to-finished draft of the video, running some sixty-seven minutes in length, with Johnson on hand following the screening to answer questions. On November 15, 1999, I, along with some seventy other faculty members, students, and the general public at the University of Idaho, had the privilege of experiencing a special review screening of Hand Game. Coyote's story most appropriately anchors and sets the tone for a very insightful, well-produced, and participant-based telling of the nature and dynamic of the hand game. So begins the video Hand Game: The Native North American Game of Power and Chance, by Lawrence Johnson. This Coyote account of the origin of death and of the hand game is told in the words of Richard Mullan, a Coeur d'Alene. So then Coyote thought and says, "Well, let's play a game. It's not fair to the people." And so they talked and talked, and they couldn't come up with a fair answer. Lawrence Johnson Productions, Inc., 2000Įvery time Coyote would get killed, his wife would come and jump over him, back and forth, and he'd become alive again. Hand Game: The Native North American Game of Power and Chance a video by Lawrence Johnson. Hand Game: The Native North American Game of Power and Chance Your browser does not support the audio element.In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Listen to a recorded reading of this page:.Take a ten question quiz about this page.Sometimes songs were considered personal and could only be performed by another person if the writer gave their permission.Many songs would start off slowly, but would pick up the tempo further into the song.Sometimes players would wager valuable furs or even a horse. Gambling games were very popular and the stakes were often high.Rattles were sometimes made with turtle shells or buffalo horns.There was a version of lacrosse that the women played called amtahcha.Medicine men often acted as coaches for the lacrosse teams.Interesting Facts about Native American Entertainment and Sports Sometimes the dancers would dress up in costumes and/or masks. Many of the dances involved the dancers moving in a circle. Some dances included both men and women while other dances were exclusively for one or the other. Each dance had its own special name, steps, songs, history, and meaning. There were also a large variety of traditional dances. If at least five of the six nuts ended up the same color, that player gained a point. Then the player hit the bowl against the ground. For this game a wooden bowl was used along with six nuts that were black on one side and white on the other. The Bowl Game - The Bowl Game was a favorite among the Iroquois and was traditionally played during the Midwinter Festival.Then they would toss the ring into the air and try to catch it with the pointed end of the stick. At the other end of the string a ring was tied. They took a long stick and tied a string to one end. Ring-the-Stick Game - The Ring-the-Stick game was usually played by children.Then the other team would try to hide the item. If they guessed correctly they gained a point. Then the other side would try to guess who had the item in their hand. One side would pass around a small bone or ball quickly. The Hand Game - The Hand Game was played between two teams of people.The game was sometimes used to toughen up younger warriors and to settle disputes between tribes. Games would often last from sunrise to sunset. Sometimes the game was a huge event with hundreds of players on both sides and a field that was over a mile long. The game was played with a ball that was passed around using sticks with nets attached to the end. Different tribes had different names for the sport including stickball, bump hips, kabucha, and little brother of war. One of the most popular Native American sports was lacrosse. ( Ball-play of the Choctaw by George Catlin)