The game of stickball – played by the Cherokee’s – is a physically-challenging game and certainly not for the faint of heart. I first saw a game of stickball being played at the Cherokee Indian Fair as a child. We would go to the fair with our Cherokee neighbors, John and Florence Jackson Rattler.
The game was brutal, with players being knocked unconscious and some bleeding. When two players got into a fight, the “driver” –who served as what we would call a “referee” – would beat them apart with a large limb, called a “two-handed brush” by locals. He would beat their backs bloody until they quit fighting and resumed playing.
Lacrosse is said to have originated from stickball, but there are some vast differences. No padding or protective equipment is worn in stickball and there are no timeouts. In earlier times, it is said that a game of stickball was used to settle a difference, rather than going to war.
Stickball was and still is played by our local Cherokee’s. Sim Sherrill Hooper (Feb. 18, 1871 – March 11, 1936) spoke of seeing the Cherokee’s play stickball on Hooper Bald, at an elevation of 5,429 feet.
In 1890, Mike Sherrill of Tallulah and Thomas Shepherd of Shepherd’s Creek told Charlie Denton of a game of stickball they saw played on Tallulah in 1845. It is thought that they were the only two white persons who were there.
The western team was made up of Cherokee’s from Valley River near Andrews and from Cheoah Valley, here in what is now Graham County. The other Cherokee team was from Qualla Town, Bird Town, Big Cove and Oconaluftee. A large number of Cherokee’s were present.
Harry Morris – whose mother was full Cherokee – and his father Gideon Morris – who was white – made the winning run for the west team. Some members of the opposing team ran two horses onto the field in front of Morris, in an attempt to stop him. He dodged one horse and jumped over the other one.
Before the game had ended, three players had been killed and several injured. Several players were still lying on the field when the game ended and were not able to travel home for several days. Shepherd said that injured players were still passing his home a week later.
Whenever you think you have had a rough day – remember, you could be a stickball player.
Marshall McClung is the historical columnist for The Graham Star. Email him at mcclungs@email.com.