Grab your sticks for the New Year’s Stickball game at First Americans Museum
Ever wanted to experience the thrill of a sporting event and witness history at the same time? To welcome in the New Year, First Americans Museum is hosting a New Year’s Stickball game this Saturday, Jan. 6.
In the mid-18th century, before stickball was considered a game, it was used as a method of mediating social relations and conflicts between tribal members, districts and towns. Stickball served as an alternative to war between tribes, avoiding the use of weapons and deadly force. The game evolved into a sport, adopted and regulated by tribal nations.
Prior to an actual stickball game, opposing sides will decide on rules. Also, pre-game rituals are a special time for tribal families and members to bring luck to their respective teams with acts and performances. The equipment used in the game are wooden, hickory sticks shaped in a spoon with netting. Sticks are often decorated with marked carvings, leather-wrapped handles or embellished with symbolic pieces to denote their respective tribes. The game ball is typically handmade with cloth and weaved using leather strips, measuring three inches in diameter. A fundamental component of stickball is that participants are unable to handle the ball with their hands. As with all sports, the team with the most points/goals wins the game.
You could find the influence of stickball in today’s sports. The tradition and concept of the game could draw a mirror image of lacrosse, with role positioning and strategic motions evident in soccer. Today, tribal nations partake in stickball as a celebratory event, encouraging fitness, recreation and camaraderie while honoring and preserving history.
Doors at the First Americans Museum will be open Saturday, Jan. 6, at 11 a.m. with a youth game (ages 7–17) beginning at 11:30 a.m. and an adult game (18+) at 1 p.m. The event is free to attend as FAM welcomes spectators to cheer on all participants of the games. For questions and information on how you could participate, go to the First Americans Museum website.
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