Potawatomi Indian Games for Kids

Who Are the Potawatomi?

• Potawatomi, pronounced "Poh-tuh-WAH-toh-mee," means "fire keepers," according to the Native Languages of the Americas website. The Potawatomi traditionally lived in the eastern woodlands and the prairies. Most lived in the area that is now Michigan, and some still live there today. The Potawatomi farmed and hunted for their food. The chief of a Potawatomi village could be a man or woman. Like most tribes, Potawatomi villages practiced storytelling, music, and artwork, such as quill embroidery, baskets and floral beadwork.

Lacrosse and Double Shinny

• Potawatomi boys often played lacrosse. In lacrosse, a popular game among many tribes, the Potawatomi used a 3-foot stick with one end carved to cup the ball. They usually used a ball made from wood. Women played lacrosse as well, and girls played a form called double shinny, said to be less violent.

Cup and Pin

• Children played a variation of the cup and pin game, which adults normally played. In cup and pin, which both men and women would play, people would try to catch a series of bones on a long pin made of wood or bone. They used a slim piece of deer hide with 10 deer dewclaws or toe bones strung on it, and a long pin attached to the other end (see Resources). Children used a pointed stick and a cluster of grass, which was attached to the end of a short cord, according to the Milwaukee Public Museum.

Snow Snake

• Boys and men played a game called "snow snake" in winter. They would play this on frozen lakes or in long grooves in the snow, according to the Native Languages of the Americas website. For the "snake," they used a stick with a rounded end that looked like the head of a snake. A player would bend and flip the snake so it would glide across the top of the snow or ice. Whoever's snake traveled the farthest won the game.

Other Games and Toys

• Children also enjoyed rolling birchbark hoops around on the ground, according to the Milwaukee Public Museum. They would also play a game similar to horseshoes. In this game, they threw an awl toward a metal point held down by a piece of wood and circled by a small bone ring, trying to make the awl land upright inside the circle. Girls often played with dolls as well, like girls from many cultures, and girls and boys played with other toys as well.