Northern Pomo Online Talking Dictionary


English to Northern Pomo

Northern Pomo to English

ʔ
t̪ʰ

play (grass game)
kadem
verb
grass game, play grass game

Grass game - played by all the tribes in the area. Just two players on each side, those are the gamblers. There were many spectators and betters, too. 100-200 dollars in a pot in the middle.

There were 12 sticks. One person on each side guesses. Players would take a handful of grass and two sticks/bones - one is slick, one is tied with a string around the middle. Players would sing away, rolling the bones around, making a big fuss, putting them behind their back, rolling them some more, and singing. Then the fellow on the other side, the guesser, he’ll say “sick bone that way” motioning to their hands with the bones. If he is right for both people, they’d give up the bones and pass them to the other fellow. Then the opposing team goes, going through the same rigamarole. Then the guesser might say “tie bone on the inside.” Maybe he’s right for one, but the other person has a slick bone in that hand. The person with slick bone gets to keep going, and gets one stick for that (for the guesser being wrong.) If he misses completely, then you get two sticks and both continue playing. Any time you fool the guesser you get a stick. Winner is the one who gets all 12 sticks.

For years that was the only sort of entertainment they had. This would go on Saturday and Sunday all day. Some games would last several hours going back and forth without any sticks being passed out.
AL
gamble
kadem
verb
gamble

see also: play (grass game)
Example phrases (phrasicon)
AL

Word of the Day: November 21, 2024


put! (plural) (again and again) (command)
mijat̪amam
verb
put (those) down (again and again)! (command)
Example phrases (phrasicon)
EC
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