CALIF INDIAN GAMBLING TRAY BASKET

From the RIVERSIDE MUNICIPAL MUSEUM placards:

BASKETRY GAMBLING TRAY is made of coiled sumac with a plant-like design in black juncus. Dice would have been tossed onto the basket's surface. This coiled tray dates to the early 20th century, 1900s.

GAMBLING AMONG THE LUISENO:

In pre-contact California, gambling was a part of daily life for men, women, and children. Guessing games and hand games like peon, string games like cat's cradle, even running races were all cause for friendly wagers.

Dice made from sticks or walnut shells were tossed onto flat gambling baskets.

The ring-and-pin game was another favorite of the Luiseno, in which strung acorn or gourd rings caught on a stick.

In shinny, a game similar to field hockey, players hit stone or hard wood balls with long wooden sticks.

Today, the world class casinos run by the Luiseño and other California tribes can be seen as a continuation of their ancient gaming traditions.

The California Nations Indian Gaming Association CNIGA, a non-profit organization, assists tribes and the federal government with gaming issues. CNIGA also provides information on gaming to tribes, governments, and the general public.

-Riverside Municipal Museum

Native American California Indian basket contributed by the RIVERSIDE MUNICIPAL MUSEUM, Riverside, CA.
Photo illustration by G BALLARD, San Diego