Northern Cheyenne women played a game of chance known among ethnologists and anthropologists as the plum-stone, seed or
Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2021 11:04 am
Northern Cheyenne women played a game of chance known among
ethnologists and anthropologists as the plum-stone, seed or basket
game. The plum stone game implements consist of one woven basket,
five two-sided stones, and eight tally sticks for each player.
Designs were burnt or engraved into each plum-stone, but only on
one side. The other side remained blank. Three of the stones had
the same design on them while the other two had a different design.
An example is in the diagram on the last page: the cross designs on
three of the stones represent the morning star while the design on
the other two stones represents a bear’s foot.
Each participant played with 8 tally sticks that symbolized the
points she gained or lost. Like many Indian games, the plum-stone
game involved gambling. Each woman kept by her side a pile of
property, like bits of red cloth, beads, and tobacco, that she
intended to wager against the opponent facing her. The object of
the game was to win the opponent’s 8 tally sticks which entitled
the winner to the stake.
The players sat, like teams, in rows facing each other or played
in pairs. A toss of the stones from the hand into the basket began
the game. Subsequent tosses were made with the basket so that the
stones dropped back into it. The combination of marked and unmarked
sides which were face up after a throw determined the score for the
throw (see picture). The score was either 0, 1, 3 or 8. A player
continued tossing until she got a 0, then the basket passed to the
next person. The score determined how many tally sticks each member
of the thrower’s team got from the corresponding members of the
opponent’s team. When the basket reached the end of one team’s row,
it was passed to the other team.
(a) Calculate the probability
that a player’s turn will last at least three tosses.
(b) What’s the expected number
of tosses a turn will last? What’s the standard deviation? (Hint:
what discrete probability model can you use?)
(c) Assuming scores of
0,3,3,8,1,1,0,0,0,1,0,1 from left to right, what are the expected
value and standard deviation of the number of points a player will
score on a single toss?
TABLE 5 PLUM-STONE SCORES NORTHERN CHEYENNE PLUM-STONE GAME 2 2 DISTINCT OUTCOMES SCORES Channel 1 | 3 | ന 0 - | C | Petter 0: a | ന 3 o | 3 | 0 Unverified | 0 രിരിരിരിരിരിരിരാരാ O988999OOOOO OOOOOOOOO 000 ത്തിൽ പ്രതിയാ oooooooo MUUT
ethnologists and anthropologists as the plum-stone, seed or basket
game. The plum stone game implements consist of one woven basket,
five two-sided stones, and eight tally sticks for each player.
Designs were burnt or engraved into each plum-stone, but only on
one side. The other side remained blank. Three of the stones had
the same design on them while the other two had a different design.
An example is in the diagram on the last page: the cross designs on
three of the stones represent the morning star while the design on
the other two stones represents a bear’s foot.
Each participant played with 8 tally sticks that symbolized the
points she gained or lost. Like many Indian games, the plum-stone
game involved gambling. Each woman kept by her side a pile of
property, like bits of red cloth, beads, and tobacco, that she
intended to wager against the opponent facing her. The object of
the game was to win the opponent’s 8 tally sticks which entitled
the winner to the stake.
The players sat, like teams, in rows facing each other or played
in pairs. A toss of the stones from the hand into the basket began
the game. Subsequent tosses were made with the basket so that the
stones dropped back into it. The combination of marked and unmarked
sides which were face up after a throw determined the score for the
throw (see picture). The score was either 0, 1, 3 or 8. A player
continued tossing until she got a 0, then the basket passed to the
next person. The score determined how many tally sticks each member
of the thrower’s team got from the corresponding members of the
opponent’s team. When the basket reached the end of one team’s row,
it was passed to the other team.
(a) Calculate the probability
that a player’s turn will last at least three tosses.
(b) What’s the expected number
of tosses a turn will last? What’s the standard deviation? (Hint:
what discrete probability model can you use?)
(c) Assuming scores of
0,3,3,8,1,1,0,0,0,1,0,1 from left to right, what are the expected
value and standard deviation of the number of points a player will
score on a single toss?
- Northern Cheyenne Women Played A Game Of Chance Known Among Ethnologists And Anthropologists As The Plum Stone Seed Or 1 (154.2 KiB) Viewed 111 times