A Zuni Foot‐race

Abstract

When the Sun Priest announces the arrival of planting time, and the herald proclaims from the housMops that the planting has been done, the seasons for foot-racing in Zu6i are at hand.The first races of the year, while interesting ceremonially, are by no means so exciting as those which follow later in the season when the planting is finished. These preliminary races are over a short course and are participated in by a representative of each of the six estufas. Six prayer-plumes and an equal number of race-sticks are made by the Priests of the Bow, the latter of which are placed in the trail about two miles from the starting point. When the time for the race has been decided upon, which may not be until three or four days after the race-sticks have been deposited by the priests, the six representatives of the estufas run to the point where they are, and each man finds and kicks one of the sticks in a small circle homeward. This race is a contest between the six individuals comprising the racing party, and no betting is engaged in.The great races of Zuni, and those in which the chief interest is centered, occur after the planting-the time when nearly all the men are at leisure. In selecting the participants in these races, the swiftest-footed of the young men of the northern half of the pueblo are matched against those of the southern, or of the western half against the eastern. The number of racers on a side varies from three to six, and the degree of interest taken in the contest depends upon the reputation of those engaged in it, and particularly upon the extent to which betting has been indulged in.As soon as the choice of sides has been made, the wagering begins, and increases with good-natured earnestness until the time for the foot-race arrives. Every available hide and pelt is brought to light from beneath the piles of stores secreted in the back rooms and cellars, to be converted into cash or gorgeously colored calico, and the demand upon the trader for goods is unequaled except when a great dance is approaching. Money, silver belts, bracelets and rings, shell necklaces, turquoises, horses, sheep, blankets, in fact anything

Sociopolitical, Ceremonial, and Economic Aspects of Gambling in Ancient North America: A Case Study of Chaco Canyon

“…Another central theme of Puebloan gaming is its association with rain-making, rain being of crucial importance to agriculture in the American Southwest yet highly variable. Zuni kick-stick races, which involved players flinging a stick using the top of the foot (see Figure 1) without touching it with their hands, began in spring near planting time and continued until the summer solstice (Hodge 1890:227; Parsons 1996:821; Stevenson 1903:469). The first races were associated with rain-making, with teams comprised of members of different kivas and clans (Hodge 1890:227; Parsons 1996:821; Stevenson 1903:470, 473).…”

Gambling Across Cultures: Mapping Worldwide Occurrence and Learning from Ethnographic Comparison

“…For instance, bets placed at the Zuñ i footraces consisted of all kinds of valuables and useful objects. These were placed in a large heap, which was a focus of attention; bettors gathered around it admiring this treasure of wealth (Hodge, 1890). The heap of valuable objects, associated with all kinds of enjoyments and pleasures, is a symbolic cornucopia that bills and coins cannot fully replace.…”