Chunkey: More Then Just a Game

Chunkey is a native American game that is played by throwing a spear as close to a rolling stone as possible. One player would roll the stone out and then one or multiple players would throw their respective spears while the stone was still rolling. The closest spear gets the point. This is the basis of the game but it was played in many different varieties depending on where you were from. It is even believed that some tribes from Mexico had a version of the game(Reporter 2020).

Depicted here are a few examples of modern Chunkey stones(Reporter 2020).

Already you can see that this was much more than just a game some Cahokians played. You can see by the spread of the game that there was value in sharing the game and spreading it making it more than just a use of time. Many Cahokian emissaries would carry a Chunkey ball in one hand and a war club in the other. This would signify either a peaceful option or a violent one(Pauketat 2009). Chunkey therefore became a diplomatic tool to offer peaceful solutions to diplomacy. This also reinforces the idea that it was spread so much because these emissaries would have brought it along for the purpose of engaging in peaceful diplomacy.

Although Chunkey did play such a large role in diplomacy for Cahokia it also played a vital role in local day-to-day life. Many players would bet their houses or life savings on the game. Not only was monetary value on the line but also pride. There are accounts of people committing suicide after losing(Reporter 2020). Furthermore, Chunkey was used to settle local disputes. It became a way to settle issues between people without the need for bloodshed. As long as both parties followed the game’s results, Chunkey was used to resolve hunting rights, territorial disputes, or any disagreement between two people(Lepine 2023).

This is a painting by George Catlin depicting a group of people in the act of playing Chunkey(Smithsonian American Art Museum).

The value and power Chunkey carried in Cahokia and all of North America at the time tells us how it was more than what we think of as a game today. It was a political tool that the Cahokians used to engage in diplomacy with other tribes. Chunkey was also a tool that everyday people used to settle disputes and issues they had. Most people at the time in North America used, or at the very least recognized, Chunky as having the ability to be a decider during disputes. People trusted each other to uphold the results of the game and saw Chunkey not just as a game. It was seen as a symbol of peaceful negotiation on a personable level and on a larger scale.

References:

DeBoer, Warren R. “LIKE A ROLLING STONE: THE CHUNKEY GAME AND POLITICAL ORGANIZATION IN EASTERN NORTH AMERICA.” Southeastern Archaeology 12, no. 2 (1993): 83–92. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40712999.

Lepine, Nicolas. 2023. “Montessori Physical Education Blog Chunkey – Traditional Native American Sport.” Montessori Physical Education. April 23, 2023. https://www.montessoriphysicaleducation.com/new-blog/chunkey-traditional-native-american-sport2023/4/7.

Pauketat, Timothy. 2009. “America’s First Pastime – Archaeology Magazine Archive.” Archive.archaeology.org. September 2009. https://archive.archaeology.org/0909/abstracts/pastime.html.

Reporter, LINDSEY BARK. 2020. “Chunkey: A Game of Stones.” Cherokeephoenix.org. August 27, 2020. https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/culture/chunkey-a-game-of-stones/article_cdca67ea-6e61-5457-9309-500d1c95183f.html.

Additional information

PBS website https://www.pbs.org/native-america/chunkey

Interesting Blog https://livesandlegaciesblog.org/2019/10/17/when-games-are-serious-business-chunkey/

Pollen Dating and Analysis at Catalhoyuk

Pollen dating is a super interesting and effective way to help archaeologists date sites and learn more about the environment around the site. Palynologists, experts in pollen dating and analysis, can figure out a lot about the area of a site by using pollen that has been stored in the ground. They can do this because pollen is almost indestructible and can be preserved for thousands and even millions of years. When looking at pollen we can separate trends into pollen zones which can help us date areas. When we find pollen in sites, if we can identify which pollen zone they resemble we can get a general idea of the timer period.

This is an image of what pollen particles look like super zoomed in.

Furthermore, we can use radiocarbon dating and pollen dating to confidently date sites. However, this is not a foolproof method to learn all about a site. Pollen does not preserve well in dry climates and is susceptible to microbial damage. Therefore you need to have the right conditions to effectively use pollen dating and analysis.

Yet how effective is it to not only find particles that range from 10-1000 microns but also learn about a society of people who were alive thousands of years ago? One example I found of effective use of pollen dating was at Catalhoyuk. Catalhoyuk is a UNESCO World Heritage site in south-central Turkey. Catalhoyuk is a neolithic site that is especially important because it is believed to be one of the first examples of an urban setting. This was a city where up to 10,000 people lived and farmed. 

Pollen dating and analysis were used at Catalhoyuk to figure out a lot about the surrounding environment and to help date the site. Pollen analysis found a very high percentage of Cerealia-type pollen, up to 70%. This tells us that a lot of agricultural grains were being grown around the site. This presence of pollen can lead us to believe that grains were a huge food source for the residents of Catalhoyuk. By looking at where the pollen was the archeologist could even pinpoint where they think the fields were and where the grains were processed. Along with radiocarbon dating, archeologists could tell that this specific grain processing location was only active for 300 years. Using pollen analysis and radiocarbon dating gives archeologists multiple tools to figure out dates and information about sites. Although pollen dating and analysis can not tell us everything about a site it can be another useful tool to learn more about farming environments and even the location of things like food processing. Paired with tools like radiocarbon dating it can also help put dates on sites and artifacts.

The dig site at Catalhoyuk

Further Reading

more info about the Catalhoyuk site

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1405/#:~:text=%C3%87atalh%C3%B6y%C3%BCk%20provides%20important%20evidence%20of,roof%20access%20into%20the%20buildings.

More info on the Catalhoyuk site

https://www.catalhoyuk.com/archive_reports/1994/ar94_07.html

Pollen analysis info

https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-1-4020-4411-3_192

References

John Eastwood, Warren , and Neil Roberts. 2007. “Pollen Analysis at Çatalhöyük.” Research Gate. January 2007. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313718677_Pollen_analysis_at_Catalhoyuk.

Santiago-Marrero, Carlos G, Christina Tsoraki, Carla Lancelotti, and Marco Madella. 2021. “A Microbotanical and Microwear Perspective to Plant Processing Activities and Foodways at Neolithic Çatalhöyük.” PLOS ONE 16 (6): e0252312–12. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0252312.

Stroud, Elizabeth, Neil Roberts, and Hakan Yiğitbaşıoğlu. 2018. “Comparing Pollen and Archaeobotanical Data for Chalcolithic Cereal Agriculture at Çatalhöyük, Turkey.” Quaternary Science Reviews 202 (December): 4–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2018.11.012.