Games of Chance

What Is Chance? What is the chance it will snow on October 31st? What is the chance you will flip a coin and get tails? What is the chance you will win the lottery? What is your chance of winning in Rock, Paper, Scissors? http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae172/Krisna-Udayana/Mathematic-ProbabilityandChance.png Q: What does CHANCE mean? A:The CHANCE of something means the likelihood it will happen. So when we are asking “what are the chances it will snow on October 31st?” you are really wanting to know what the likelihood is that it will snow on that day. Q: Why do we care about CHANCE/LIKELIHOOD? -A: Knowing how likely an event will occur can help us plan ahead. For example, if we know it is likely to snow on October 31st, we can plan ahead with our costumes.

First Nations Context Games of chance have many important historical purposes: -Ritual activities or family tradition -Settling disputes -Entertainment -Financial gain -Exercise and dexterity -Developing Skills Q: What does CHANCE mean to First Nations people? A: Games of chance are significant in many ways to Indigenous cultures. In some cases, it is a ritual activity or a family tradition. It can also be a way of settling disputes between people or a form of entertainment for children. It can also be a way to win or trade something valuable (herbs, meat, animals, fur) that can be shared with the community (winning is an honor that allows one to share their wealth). Another important purpose of games is for exercise (more of this on the next slide) and developing skills needed for tasks like fishing and hunting. Q: What items were used in FN games? A: Dice and "sticks" used for hand guessing games were often made of teeth, fruit pits, wood, shells, or bones and were typically decorated on one side (either symmetrically or asymmetrically). Shorter sticks were often split with one flat side and one rounded side. Longer sticks were usually made of wood, bones, or cane and were round with or without markings. Sources: “Teaching Mathematics in a First Peoples Context Grades 8 and 9” www.fnesc.ca http://web.uvic.ca/~tpelton/fn-math/

Games - Strength and Agility -Some games were used to help strengthen the fingers and become more agile (quick) in preparation for the fishing season. -After traveling by water, canoes had to be carried long distances over land to get to the next river. Pole Push is a Tug-of-War type game that allowed training in strength, endurance, and persistence. Q: Why were games important for exercising and improving movement? A: 1) For example, the Dene people would prepare for the fishing season by playing certain hand games that would strengthen their fingers and help them become fast and nimble. This allowed the Dene to catch fish quickly with their hands and carry them long distances by inserting their middle finger in the gill area. For strength training, Dene people played the Finger Pull game (http://www.denegames.ca/dene-games/finger-pull-rules.html). 2) Often Dene would travel in their birch bark canoes hundreds of miles to the Barrenlands to hunt caribou, set traps or to visit family. In order to travel on these canoe trips there were many portages where the canoe would have to be emptied of gear and carried sometimes up to 15 or 20 kilometers to the next river and then they would have to return back for their gear. These journeys required strength, endurance, persistence and an innate sense of direction. In order to maintain their astonishing abilities these grueling canoe trips, some Dene would practice the Pole Push. The Pole Push is similar to the tug-of-war game, but participants are using a 20 foot pole to try and push each other out of the circle. (http://www.denegames.ca/dene-games/pole-push.html). 3) Games were also important for developing and perfecting skills. Many games helped people determine what their strengths were (hunters, fishers, etc.) Source: http://www.denegames.ca/dene-games/pole-push.html

Games of Chance - Stick Dice Stick Dice is a two player game in which both players try to get certain combinations to score points. Be the first to get 10 points to win! Male Sticks Female Sticks Combination Points All colored up 2 All colored down Only male up 1 Only female up Anything else Activity: Stick Dice Q: What games of chance did First Nations people play? How can we learn about probability (the chance of an event occurring) from it? A: There are many games that involve dice (though the dice aren’t the usual cubes with dots on them that we are used to!) and counters for keeping score. Traditional dice were usually decorated sticks and often there were “male” sticks and “female” sticks made. The Stick Dice game exists among over 130 tribes and vary depending on the tribe. Materials: (students should work in pairs) - 4 popsicle sticks (per pair of students) - markers to decorate the popsicle sticks - 10 beans or stones to use as counters Setup: Have students (in partners) decorate their 4 sticks. Two sticks should have the same design and the other two sticks should have a different same design. Make sure only one side of each stick is colored (leave the other side blank!) How To Play: 1) The players take turns tossing the stick dice onto the ground and keep score using the 10 counting beans Different combinations will score different point values. At the start of the game, the 10 counting beans should be on a pile on the ground. The players collect beans from the pile until they are used up, and then collect from each other. The first player to earn all 10 counting beans wins. 2) Scoring Scheme: -all colored sides up scores 2 points -all colored sides down scores 2 points -both male up (or both female up) scores 1 point -any other combination scores 0 points. Go to the link to printout worksheets: http://web.uvic.ca/~tpelton/fn-math/

Exploring Other Games http://web.uvic.ca/~tpelton/fn-math/ http://www.denegames.ca/dene-games/finger-pull-rules.html http://mathcentral.uregina.ca/RR/database/RR.09.00/treptau1/mathcontent.html http://www.etfo.ca/Resources/ForTeachers/Documents/Canadian%20Aboriginal%20Festival%202005%20Curriculum%20Connections%20-%20Traditional%20Aboriginal%20Games.pdf This slide provides the option for students to explore other games and discover the elements involved. Instructions for Students: Using the links provided, explore other traditional First Nations games. As a project, research the game in a small group and present it to the class. Your exploration should address the following questions: 1) Who invented the game? 2) What tools/materials are needed to play the game? 3) How is chance and probability involved? 4) What are other variations of the game? 5) Why was the game played (strength building, skill development, entertainment, learning, settling disputes, etc.)?