to have seen it played at different periods, and among the various tribes; but all unite in ascribing to it the hereditary wild beauty and variety which it has always retained.
There was some dissimilarity among the different tribes in the shape of the stick used, the size and composition of the ball, the kind of goal, &c., but the general character of the game was the same.
The Crosse.—As far back as we can trace we find the original Crosse to have been of a very different shape to that used at present. That of the Choctaws, Chippeways, Cherokees and Creeks was about three feet long, bent into an oblong hoop at one end large enough to hold the ball. That of the Sacs, Sioux, Objiways, Dacotahs, Poutawatamies, and most other tribes was about the same length, but
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the hoop was round as seen in the above illustration. None of the original sticks were over four feet long. The net-work of the oblong hoop was generally three inches long and two wide; that of the round hoop,
