Wampanoag/Games

Ahânu (He laughs) Tawhitchahánean (Why doe you laugh?) Ahánuock (They are merry) Nippauochâumen (We are dancing) Pauochaúog (They are playing or dancing) Pauochaútowwin (A bauble to play with) Akésuog. (They are at Cards, or telling of Rushes.) Pissinnéganash. (Their playing Rushes) Ntakésemin. (I am telling, or counting) for their play is a kind of Arithmatic. Cultural Observation: The played a game like cards; yet, instead of cards they play with strong rushes. They play a game with plumb stones painted, which they cast in a tray, with a mighty noise and sweating. {Obs.} The chiefe Gamesters amongst them much desire to make their gods side with them in their Games (as our {English} Gamesters so farre also acknowledge God) therefore I have seene them keepe as a precious stone a piece of Thunderbolt, which is like unto a crystal, which they dig out of the ground under some tree, Thunder-smitten, and from this stone they have an opinon of success, and I have not heard any of these prove losers which conceive may be Satans policy, and God holy Justice to harden them for their not rising higher from the Thunderbolt, to the God that send or shoots it. |Ntaquíe akésamen.| `I will leave play.' |Nchikossimúnnash.| `I will burne my Rushes.' |Wunnaugonhómmin| `To play at dice in their Tray.' |Asaúanash.| `The painted Plumbstones which they throw.' |Puttuckquapúonck.| `A Playing Arbour.' {Obs.} This Arbour or Play house is made of long poles set in the earth, foure square, sixteen or twentie foot high, on which they hang great store of their stringed money, have great stakings towne against towne, and two chosen out of the rest by course to play the {Game} at this kinde of Dice in the midst of all their Abettors, with great shouting and solemnity: beside, they have great meetings of foot-ball playing, onely in Summer, towne against towne, upon some broad sandy shoare, free from stones, or upon some soft heathie plot because of their naked feet, at which they have great stakings, but seldome quarrell. |Pasuckquakohowaúog.|- `They meet to foot-ball.' |Cukkúmmote wèpe.| `You steale'; As I have often told them in their gamings, and in their great losings (when they have staked and lost their money, clothes, house, corne, and themselves, (if single persons) they will confesse it being weary of their lives, and ready to make away themselves, like many an {English} man: an Embleme of the horrour of conscience, which all poore sinners walk in at last, when they see what wofull games they have played in their life, and now find themselves eternall Beggars. |Keesaqúnnamun|, Another kinde of solemne publike meeting, wherein they lie under the trees, in a kinde of Religious observation, and have a mixture of Devotions and sports: But their chiefest Idoll of all for sport and game, is (if their land be at peace) toward Harvest, when they set up a long house called |Qunnèkamuck|. Which signifies {Long house}, sometimes an hundred, somtimes two hundred foot long upon a plaine neer the Court (which they call |Kitteickau~ick|) where many thousands, men and women meet, where he that goes in danceth in the sight of all the rest; and is prepared with money, coats, small breeches, knifes, or what hee is able to reach to, and gives these things away to the poore, who yet must particularly beg and say, |Cowequetúmmous|, that is, {I beseech you}: which word (although there is not one common beggar amongst them) yet they will often use when their richest amongst them would fain obtain ought by gift.