Prehistoric Games of North American Indians ─ Subarctic to Mesoamerica

This book gathers papers on games of indigenous peoples of North America. Contributors in archaeology draw on evidence from archaeological findings as well as other fields. The introduction surveys the field and its founders, who first studied ancient games from an anthropological perspective. Chapters cover different types of games, such as ballgames, hand games, dice games, women’s games, and men’s games. Some chapters examine the games of one society or group, while other chapters look at themes of power and identity in games, or explore the experiences of the players. Some specific subjects covered include the Apalachee ballgame, the sacred role of dice games in the Lower Mississippi Valley, acrobatic dances and games of Mesoamerica, and Aztec gambling and magical thinking. The book contains b&w photos, maps, charts, illustrations, and many summary tables. Annotation ©2017 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)