(a) Wood burl bowl. (b-f) Painted plum seed dice; (d) and (f) have a crescent moon on one side, a star on other side; (b, c, e) are all black on one side, natural on other side. (g) Stick counters made from blue joint grass.
Donor:
David Ives Bushnell Jr., G. B. Gordon, Phoebe Apperson Hearst, and W. C. Farabee
Collection place:
Central Plains, Great Plains, North America
Verbatim coll. place:
; Central Plains
Culture or time period:
Umoⁿhoⁿ
Collector:
Francis La Flesche
Collection date:
1901-1902
Materials:
Grass, Seed (material), and Wood (plant material)
Object type:
ethnography
Object class:
Bowls (vessels)
Function:
5.6 Sports, Games, Amusements; Gambling and Pet Accessories
Accession date:
1904 and September 8, 1902
Context of use:
Plumstone game", a woman's game. 5 plum stones are used. The points of the game may be 50 or 100 as agreed upon. Counters are for keeping tally. The 5 plum stones are put in a wooden bowl. The bowl is held by the edge. A sharp upward movement is made
Department:
Native US and Canada (except California)
Dimensions:
(a)— 1.8 centimeters and (a)— diameter 22.7 centimeters
Comment:
Plumstone game", a woman's game. 5 plum stones are used. The points of the game may be 50 or 100 as agreed upon. Counters are for keeping tally. The 5 plum stones are put in a wooden bowl. The bowl is held by the edge. A sharp upward movement is made and 3 black, or 2 moons and 3 white, or 2 stars and 3 white turn up it is called "Hu-be" (mysterious), and the one who gets this throw keeps on playing as long as the "Hu-be" throw turns up until all the points of the game are made. The "Hu-be" throw may count 5 or 10 according to agreement. In order to count, the 3 must be all white or black. So one moon and one star with 3 black or white count one point. One moon and one star with one black and 2 white counts nothing. 2 moons with one black and 2 white counts nothing. 2 stars with one black and 2 white counts nothing. When a count is made the player keeps on throwing. When in the toss one of the stones in falling leans on another stone, the leaning stone must be picked up and dropped by the hand. Native name and meaning: "Kon-thi" - The Plumstone Game. Exhibited: UCLMA "Plains Indians", 1971. References: p. 367, "The Omaha Tribe", AE vol. 27, Fletcher & LaFlesche. Piece count: "40+".