{"id":38290,"date":"2025-01-05T01:01:23","date_gmt":"2025-01-05T06:01:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/from-hand-games-to-e-sports\/"},"modified":"2025-01-05T01:01:30","modified_gmt":"2025-01-05T06:01:30","slug":"from-hand-games-to-e-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/from-hand-games-to-e-sports\/","title":{"rendered":"From hand games to e-sports"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"LNI<\/a><\/p>\n

LNI VIP section corporate hand game challenge. (Photo by Marnie Cook)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

RAPID CITY \u2013 In the heart of Rapid City, South Dakota, the annual Lakota Nation Invitational (LNI) brings a vibrant celebration of Native youth who come to compete in honor of their schools, families, and respected nations. This week-long multisport tournament showcases a diverse array of talents, from athletics and academics to fine arts and more.<\/p>\n

Among the many exciting events, hand games, also known as stick games, stand out as a crowd favorite, drawing both enthusiastic spectators and skilled players alike. Hand games are a traditional Native American guessing game to teach young people about creation stories, life skills, conflict resolution, and fair play.<\/p>\n

The first team to guess all the marked bones wins. Each team hides the bones behind their back, including the one called the \u201cmale.\u201d Players take turns guessing to identify which hand holds a marked bone. If the guess is correct, the team takes the bones. If the guess is incorrect, the guessing team gives up two sticks. The team hiding the bones uses movement, singing, and drumming to distract the other team. Hand signals and motions are a part of the play, and the audience can also participate in efforts to distract. It can get rather rollicking at times.<\/p>\n

\"LNI<\/a><\/p>\n

LNI Hand Game Competition intensifies. (Photo by Marnie Cook)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

At the LNI, Lakota Style hand games are played, allowing eight sticks for each team and no kick stick or special hidden stick that can give a team an advantage. The lively atmosphere, with raucous sounds spilling out of LaCroix Hall, captures the essence of friendly competition and cultural pride that epitomizes the LNI. The intensity of the competition filled the hall with persistent drumming meant to distract guessers.<\/p>\n

Tasha Hernandez (Oglala Lakota), who attends school at Mahpiya Luta High School said that her school has competed in the hand games for years. \u201cRight now, we have two teams enrolled in the LNI Tournament. We\u2019re doing pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hernandez said that hand games is more of a game of chance. \u201cIt\u2019s supposed to be more fun, but it does get competitive. It\u2019s never taken seriously if you win or lose. It\u2019s another reason for us to come together. It incorporates a lot of our values like friendship, kinship, and honesty. It\u2019s very important for us to incorporate values in everything we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hernandez said they\u2019re playing Lakota Style, \u201cOn one team there are two hiders and on the other team there\u2019s a guesser. So, one of the two people on the one team are hiding bones. There\u2019s one marked bone and one unmarked bone and you hide them in one of your hands and the guesser is trying to guess which hand is holding the marked bone. So, it really is a game of chance. Some people have tells, some people have tricks, there\u2019s trick plays but really it\u2019s a game of chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHand games were restricted or banned until the late 1970\u2019s,\u201d said Rapid City Communications Manager Darrell Shoemaker who was participating in the corporate hand games, \u201cbecause of efforts to assimilate Native Americans into white culture and thank goodness it\u2019s been brought back. Thankfully, these games have been revived and are celebrated at the LNI. The inclusion of corporate games allows businesses, elected officials, and community organizations to not only learn about the importance of hand games but also experience the rich culture and tradition of the Lakota people. This hands-on experience educates participants about the history and significance of the games.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe finally won,\u201d said Shoemaker, with a smile. \u201cThe City of Rapid City has been participating for four or five years, and after receiving instruction this year, we managed to advance. It\u2019s been a wonderful experience, not just from the competition side but also from the educational aspect and seeing how it brings us all together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shoemaker also praised the LNI for showcasing talents across various disciplines, including basketball, art, chess, and skateboarding. \u201cThe corporate hand games bring the community together, allowing everyone to be part of the event.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTry it,\u201d said Hernandez, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to be Native American, and you don\u2019t need a specific hand game set. We use rocks and sticks if we don\u2019t have anything. It\u2019s fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the Hand Game Competition is a tradition at LNI, the E-Sports Competition is just in its second year. Francis Big Crow (Oglala Lakota), the Athletic Director for Lakota Tech High School said that last year LNI directors ran it as a showcase to get people interested. \u201cThere were four teams last year, so we doubled in teams this year with eight entries. The kids are really enjoying it.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is a co-ed event, but Big Crow said currently most of the participants are male. He fully expects that will change as the event grows. \u201cWe have girls on our team, but they don\u2019t play this specific game, so they didn\u2019t come to the tournament. The game is called Rocket League and essentially you are playing soccer with cars,\u201d he explained, \u201cyou are driving a car in the game, but you are playing soccer with a ball.\u201d<\/p>\n

Again, Lakota values are incorporated into the play. \u201cFor us, we do a lot of teamwork and working together. We are making sure that the kids remember that it\u2019s a game, that they have fun, that they practice healthy competition, make new friends and meet new people. E-sports is getting to be such a big thing now I\u2019m glad it\u2019s being included at LNI.\u201d<\/p>\n

Currently, there aren\u2019t many tournaments in the state of South Dakota but there is a weekly league for the schools that are competing in e-sports to have a chance to compete with other schools. \u201cWe have our own lab at Dakota Tech so our kids will get on, login and we could be playing someone in Sioux Falls on a Monday night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shawn Bordeaux (Rosebud) was watching his son compete in the e-sports. He said he\u2019s not familiar with Rocket League, but his son likes to game. \u201cHe loves this and so I\u2019m excited. I\u2019m happy to see him competing. I think LNI should do more like this. This is capacity building in the biggest way. We have folks here who might be handling our missile silos in the future. We can\u2019t put all of our money on who makes the best free throw. Some of these folks here may never get to the free throw line but they love what they are doing, they love sports, they love technology and E-sports is putting the two together for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Contact Marnie Cook at cook@gmail.com<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

The post From hand games to e-sports<\/a> first appeared on Native Sun News Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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LNI VIP section corporate hand game challenge. (Photo by Marnie Cook) RAPID CITY \u2013 In the heart of Rapid City, South Dakota, the annual Lakota Nation Invitational (LNI) brings a vibrant celebration of Native youth who come to compete in honor of their schools, families, and respected nations. This week-long <\/p>\n

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Shared by Native Sun News Today<\/a> January 5, 2025<\/p>\n

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