Western Shoshone Winnowing-Tray Game

Lesson Goal: Students will understand that at certain times of the year, the Western Shoshone engaged in recreational activities.

Lesson Objective: Students will play a winnowing-tray game, known as We-soy, which was a women's game.

Materials:

• Winnowing Tray or a substitute tray (So. Paiute Unit.)
• 12 game sticks (popsicle sticks) with one side red.
• 25 markers per player.

Introduction:

1. Ask the students what games they play for fun.
2. Explain how the Western Shoshone played different games:
   1. Shinny - similar to a stickball game.
   2. Men's Ball Race - similar to soccer but run around a course.
   3. Hoop and Pole Game - in which they tried to spear through the middle of the hoop with a pole.
   4. Team Hand-game - a guessing game using an unmarked stick.
   5. We-soy - a winnowing-tray game played by women.
3. Explain about We-soy:

   We-soy had 2-inch mahogany sticks, painted red on one side. The player shook the 12 pieces in a winnowing-tray, threw them in the air, & caught them on the tray as they fell. If the one, two, or five sticks landed red side up, the player scored points for each of them and threw the sticks again. If any other number of pieces landed on the red side, the player lost her turn. The first player to reach 25 points won the game. (This game was only played during the day, since anyone playing it at night risked losing a loved one.) Points were usually kept by standing a small willow stick in a hole made on a larger willow containing 25 holes.

4. Have the students make their own sticks and counting willow boards (using a real or substitute winnowing-tray.)
5. Play the game.

Follow-up:

• Discuss the game and compare with games played today.
• Have teams play against other teams.

Evaluation:

• Participation in making and playing game.
• Participation in discussion.

Additional Activities:

1. Have tribal members come in and demonstrate any of the games.
2. Have students play the other games.