Cherokee marbles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cherokee marbles (ᏗᎦᏓᏲᏍᏗ, digadayosdi), or five hole is a traditional game among the Cherokee people of the United States, in which players roll small stone balls between five shallow pits dug into a playing field. Today, the game is commonly played with billiard balls. The game may be played in individual or team play, and in this century, has been introduced into the curricula of students attending schools in the Cherokee Nation. There is also a national tournament held annually during the Cherokee National Holiday.
The origin of this traditional Cherokee game is unknown, and it is not mentioned in the works of ethnologist James Mooney.[1] Cherokee marbles is a game similar to rolley hole,[2] an Anglo-American game comprising at least two teams of marble players, although the dimensions are different and rolley hole uses three holes instead of five.[3] Cherokee marbles incorporates elements which are also found in such diverse games as croquet, bocce ball, and billiards. In the early 21st century, the game was introduced into public schools in northeast Oklahoma, by the Cherokee Nation, as part of a program to discourage methamphetamine abuse.[4]
