60th Cherokee Holiday to host traditional sporting events

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — The 60th Cherokee National Holiday, Aug. 31 and Sept. 1-2 in Tahlequah, will showcase several traditional Cherokee games that visitors can either watch or play. This year’s roster includes two games of stickball, a cornstalk shoot, horseshoes, blowguns and marbles.

Visitors can compete in or watch the ancient sport of stickball at two locations during this year’s Holiday. A social game pitting the men against the women players will take place Friday at 5:30 p.m. on the ball field at the Male Seminary Recreation Center, 1501 Graham Ave. Players can bring their own sticks and a limited supply of sticks will be available for those who don’t have their own but would like to play. Stickball is a physical game similar to lacrosse in which competitors hurl a ball at a target on a pole to score points. Additionally, a competitive men’s game will be held Saturday at the Sequoyah Schools football field, 17091 S. Muskogee Ave., starting at 9 p.m. For more information, call 918-453-5221 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Cornstalk Shoot, a traditional Cherokee game that showcases bow and arrow points made from natural materials, will be held on Saturday, Sept. 1 and Sunday, Sept. 2 just west of the tribe’s main complex, 17675 S. Muskogee Ave. Registration will begin at 7 a.m. both days. Archers can participant in any of the categories, which include the primitive shoot, Cherokee traditional longbow, youth ages 6-10 and 11-14, recurve-laminates, community traditional and the bow shoot. The entry fee is $6 per competitor.  Awards will be given to first, second and third place in each category.  For additional information please contact Charolette Jackson at 918-456-5482, ext. 237.

Another popular game played often in Cherokee communities is horseshoes. A horseshoe pitch will start Saturday, Sept. 1 at 9 a.m. west of the main tribal complex. Contestants may bring a teammate or show up alone and draw a partner. The entry fee is $5 per tournament, and contestants need to enter about 15 minutes prior to the competition. For more information contact Jody Slover at 918-822-2428.

Cherokee blowguns are typically made of river cane, three to nine feet long, and have traditionally been used for hunting and in warfare. At 9 a.m. on Saturday, individual marksmen will compete at the Cherokee Heritage Center, 21192 S. Keeler Dr. For more information, call 918-453-5544.

The game of Cherokee marbles has been played for the last 1,200 years. It involves as much strategy as it does accuracy in throwing. The playing field is about 100 feet long and contains five holes. Players must toss their billiard-ball-sized marbles into holes that are about two inches in diameter while knocking the opposing players’ marbles out of the way. A five-day marbles tournament will take place at Clouds Creek from 6-10 p.m. starting Aug. 27. The top four teams will then advance to the finals on Saturday, Sept. 1 at the Cherokee Heritage. Contestants must enter between 6-10 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 18 at Clouds Creek. For more information or for directions call Phil King at 918-837-1940.

On Sunday Sept. 2, communities will match their representatives against each other to see what town produces the best sportsmen and women in marbles, horseshoes, cornstalk shoot and blowguns, as the finals of Cherokee Nation’s community games are held. The community games playoffs will take place west of the Cherokee Nation complex, starting at 10 a.m. For more information contact Lou Slagle at 918-453-5544 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..