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The NSMSG Waltes competition consists of teams of all ages. The winner of this event will not only receive a gold medal but will also receive the Honorary Distinction of Waltes World Champion. The event will take place at the Noel R. Denny Memorial Powwow Grounds (Location may change with weather).

Competition Dates/Times
Saturday, August 25, 2018: 9:00am - 4:00pm
Sunday, August 26, 2018: 9:00am - 4:00pm

Participants
Divisions Number of Athletes
Each Community may enter a maximum of twenty (20) players.
Number of Coaches
It is recommended that each community has one (1) manager/coach.

General Rules

As stated in the tech package.

Competition Format

The competition format will be determined by the number of entries per age category. The host society will make every effort to maximize the number of games each team receives.

All officials will be designated and approved by the Host Community.

Field of Play/Equipment Requirements

All equipment will be supplied by the host community:

Waltestqano'qwan - 1 x waltes bowl

Waltestaqank - 6 x bone dice

Kisiku - 1 x old man

Tquamuewe'l - 3 x counter sticks (teeth on one side only)

Kitmaqank - 51 x counting sticks - (51 plain)

Competition Rules

Waltes is an ancient Mi'kmaq / L'nu game of chance played by two or more persons using bone chips and a shallow wooden bowl. The Waltestanqank are made of bone from either caribou or deer. After the bone has been cooked and cleaned of all meat and fat and dried, the selected part of the bone is cut into squares, then rounded off at the corners by filing. One side or face is left flat while the other side is rounded (as in the case of some buttons).

These chips or buttons are marked with a cross while the rounded is left unmarked. The bowl is made from burl - a hump found on the side of hardwood trees. This hump is cut off and fashioned into a bowl by patient carving. The burl is boiled in salted water for 6 hours to remove the gum; this is done by several changes of water. The wood is then much easier to carve and will not crack or break even with constant pounding.
The Game:
1st Pile

Kitmaqank - counter sticks

There are 51 plain round sticks about 7" long.

3 Tqamuewe'l - old ladies or wives

1 Kisiku - old man

The 3 tqamuewe'l are like half arrows, they have three notches on one side, these represent 5 points each.

Kisiku - has notches on both sides, somewhat like the old ladies, it too, is 5 points. Kitmaqank counter sticks - 3 represents 1 point.

1 lift - one down and five up equals 1 point.

2 lifts is 3 points equal to 9 sticks.

3 lifts is 5 points equals wins one old lady (patched)

All dice up or down is 5 points. Wins 1 old lady, the ladies can be patched, but the old man cannot be patched.

2nd Pile

The counting changes when all the old ladies have been won; the old man is left alone, this is when they start gathering firewood on the old man.

1 stick equals 1 point.

These can be used to count off the old man.

There are times when the players might have more firewood then the one that won the old man. If this happens, the one that won the old man would have to pay for the sticks on the pile.

After counting off the old man; this is called ESATIKJAWLET-KISIKU.

Before the settling of debts are made the other player has one chance of winning back the old man. If he is lucky in winning him back, it represents 10 points.

Here the counting changes if the old man has been won.

Wi'kuowtatijik competing for sticks.

Mente'matioq - one person collects, other takes off sticks.

Mena'tu - take sticks off.

Pow - Tqamuewet - 5 points is paid for by four sticks four times instead of three sticks five times, thus sixteen sticks rather than 15 plain ones.

Kwetapa'lut Kwimu - sinking the loon, all face up or down is 15 points.

All debts are paid at this time if there is one or two sticks left by the opponent, he gets a chance to dance.

Ela'lukwen - old man and one stick - 7 points

Old Man - 7 points

Old man 2 sticks - 6 points

3 sticks - 6 points

2 sticks - 7 points

4 sticks - 5 points

1 stick - 7 points

Paqasikjenut - Last chance or gliding over the water. Here she will have three throws by the hand on the bowl. Then he could arrange the dice before he lifts the waltes bowl.

The person not dancing may not A'maq mu kisi A'-maq (waving hand over dice).

During dancing - tqamuewey is 3 points instead of 5 points. Five dice up and one down or vice versa, twice is 2 points instead of 3. If the player dancing gets the points he was aiming for the other gets the points and wins the game.
Waltes Vocabulary:
Study the following words:

Waltes - a Mi'kmaq game kitmaqnn - counting sticks kiskui'skw - old lady

a'ma - swinghand over dice esnoqnet - gathering firewood kisikuo'p - old man

kespu'tuet - he or she wins

ela'lukwet - dancing pkwimu - loon

wetta'ta - he or she has won it

Wen wetta'ta kiskuo'pa?

Wla e'pite'ji'j natawi a'mat? Wen kwetapa'lata pkwimua?

Wen esnoqnet nike'?

Nekm ela'lukwet nike'.

Naskoqte'matimk nike'.

Waltes Coordinator

Faye Sylliboy / Madeline "Sugar" Poulette

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The NSMSG Waltes competition consists of teams of all ages. The winner of this event will not only receive a gold medal but will also receive the Honorary Distinction of Waltes World Champion. The event will take place at the Noel R. Denny Memorial Powwow Grounds (Location may change with weather).

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Lillian Marshall
This is a video that was Video Recorded at the Membertou Awards Night in 2007. This video shows Lillian Marshall, an elder from the community of Potlotek, explaining the game of Waltes to others who are playng the game.
Waltes, or Waltestagney, is a traditonal, pre-contact Mi'kmaq dice game. The game is played by two people who toss six bone dice, by using a wooden bowl. In the Mi'kmaq language the dice are known as Waltes Taqnk and the bowl is called a Waltes. The circular bone dice are flat, are made of moose bone and have different designs on them which represent a cretain point value. The score is counted through the use of wooden counting sticks, Kitmaqnk, with each having a particular design and each having a certin point value.

The object of the game is to win all of the counting sticks, Kitmaqnk, away from your opponent by tossing the bone dice to gain points.

The Waltes game is characteristic of much symbolism and this is seen in the name of the counting sticks, Kitmaqnk, and the manner in which points can be won. For example, there are three counting sticks that are notched on one side and these are referred to as the old women, kisikui'skw . As well, there is one stick that is notched on both sides and this stick is referred to as the old man or Kisiku. These sticks have a certain point value that is greater than the rest of the counting sticks. The rest of the sticks do not have notches.

NOTE
To access the following videos you must have Flash Player installed. If you do not already have Flash Player, please click here to download Adobe Flash Player.

The game of Waltes - 1 - 7:50

In this video clip Lillian Marshall, an elder an a Historian from the community of Potlotek, is explaining the game of Waltes to two young children from Membertou. She is describing to the children the basics of counting your points. Within the video, Stephen Christmas of Membertou is also heard speaking to the children regarding the game and its' rules. Also shows children actually playing the game.

This video clip is a continuation of the earlier Waltes 1 video clip. Lillian Marshall is continuing to teach the children the rules of the game of Waltes and also discusses with them the concept of the "Old Man", which is an important element to the game of Waltes.

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This is a video that was Video Recorded at the Membertou Awards Night in 2007. This video shows Lillian Marshall, an elder from the community of Potlotek, explaining the game of Waltes to others who are playng the game. Waltes, or Waltestagney, is a traditonal, pre-contact Mi'kmaq dice game.

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Waltes is a kind of dice game thought to be of pre-Columbian origin. Although it is still played today, skilled players are increasingly rare.

The game is played on a circular wooden dish called a waltestaqn ('wall tess stah ahn') which is about twelve inches in diameter, hollowed to three-quarters of an inch at its centre. It is usually made from a hardwood burl, whose non-directional wood grain provides strength to withstand enthusiastic play. There are six disk-shaped dice made of bone, each with one side plain and the other side marked with a dotted cross design. There are also a number of scoring sticks: one shaped like the forward half of an arrow, three more shaped like the back half with fletching, and fifty-one plain sticks. The king pin was also referred to as kesegoo ('gis ee goo', the old man) and the notched sticks as his three wives and the plain sticks as his children.

A waltestaqn (note the hole in the center)

Waltes scoring sticks

To play, two players sit opposite each other with the dish between them, usually on a pad of leather or cloth. The six dice are placed on the waltestaqn with marked faces downward. One player takes the dish in both hands, raises it and brings it down with enough force to flip the dice. If all but one of the upturned faces are marked or unmarked, he scores a point and continues to play as long as one of such combinations result. When he fails to score, the amount of his winnings is withdrawn from the pile of sticks and forms his private pile. The other player repeats the dice throwing until he, too, fails to score. Scoring and counting are carried out according to very complicated rules, and game play can continue indefinitely.

Playing waltes

The waltestaqn itself was considered to be important in Mi'kmaw spirituality. When filled with water and left overnight, its appearance the next morning could be read to reveal knowledge of the past, present, and future. Because of this belief, French missionaries drilled holes in the bottoms of all waltestaqnk that they found, so that they could not hold water.

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Waltes is a kind of dice game thought to be of pre-Columbian origin. Although it is still played today, skilled players are increasingly rare. The game is played on a circular wooden dish called a waltestaqn ('wall tess stah ahn') which is about twelve inches in diameter, hollowed to three-quarters of an inch at its centre.

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Try your luck at ancient Mi'kmaq game of strategy and chance | CBC News

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CBC: Ancient Mi'kmaq game of Waltes makes a comeback

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CBC: Ancient Mi'kmaq game of Waltes makes a comeback

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Check out this news story with a link to an online version of Waltes.

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Legend has it that the ancient Mi'kmaq dice-and-bowl game of Waltes was so much fun it was favoured by the spirit world.

Pronounced WALT'-iss, the game was exciting, fast-moving and often played to celebrate weddings and liven up long winter evenings.

"It changes so quick," said Kerry Prosper, whose family still has his great-grandmother's Waltes set, featuring a 250-year-old bowl. "It gets people's spirits up."

The game, which has variations once played by aboriginal people throughout North America, is believed to date from long before contact with Europeans.

But its bowls were also used for spiritual quests that were discouraged by Christian newcomers. Waltes waned further over the last century with the cultural onslaught of residential schools, television and computers, and as older players who knew its complex counting rules passed on.

Now, though, it's on the rise again as aboriginal people increasingly seek out customs that once tightly bound their communities.

Blend of strategy and chance

It's part of the annual Mi'kmaq summer games and tournaments in Cape Breton that offer cash prizes, Prosper said.

"It reminds you of old times," said Prosper, a member of the Paq'tnkek First Nation near Antigonish, N.S. "The humour that goes with playing, young and older people playing together or against each other."

Kris Moulton, owner of the Board Room Game Cafe in Halifax, said Waltes is an interesting blend of strategy and chance.

Waltes can be played in various ways using a hardwood bowl about 30 centimetres in diameter, hollowed to about three centimetres at its centre.

There are six disc-shaped dice - one side round, the other flat - traditionally made of moose bone, each with one side plain, the other with a design. There are 55 scoring sticks: one notched on both sides is often called The Old Man; three notched on one side are often called The Old Women, and 51 plain sticks.

Counting methods differ, but in one version three of the plain sticks are worth one point; Old Women notched sticks are five points, and the king pin or Old Man varies in value.

Players sit opposite each other with the dish between them on folded cloth or leather. The six dice are placed on the bowl with marked faces downward. One player takes the dish in both hands, raises it and brings it down with enough force to flip the dice.

If all but one of the dice land on the blank side, or all but one land on the design side, one point is scored and the roll continues. If not, the next player takes a turn.

A roll with all six dice facing blank or all six showing the design is worth five points.

Prosper described how competitors move their hands above the bowl to get the dice to fall one way or the other: "When you're playing, you can fan the dice. But the other person can do that also. It's almost like when you see people play curling and you can sweep the stone."

'The more you talk to the dice, the better they get'

Malglit Pelletier, who grew up playing Waltes on the Eskasoni First Nation on Cape Breton, offered another tip: "When we all played at home we'd say the more you talk to the dice, the better they get," she said in an interview.

"You pound and you flap your hand back and forth. You try to turn them over."

Waltes can continue until one person has all the sticks or may go on indefinitely depending on how players decide to settle.

The game reminds Moulton of Pog, the '90s craze involving decorated cardboard discs. Metal or rubber slammers were used to flip the pogs face-up. Players who often built collections of pogs would decide in advance whether discs that landed right side up were "for keeps" or not.

Moulton said dice games are increasingly popular with his customers. Were it to cross over, Waltes might just be a hit.

"It's definitely something that people would be willing to try," he said.

Angela Robinson, an anthropologist specializing in Mi'kmaq research, teaches at Memorial University of Newfoundland's Grenfell Campus in Corner Brook, and has been demonstrating Waltes around the province.

The game also had a serious side, she said in an interview. The bowl itself was used by spiritual leaders who filled it with water, left it overnight and then studied it for guidance.

Missionaries who introduced many Mi'kmaq communities to Catholicism rejected Waltes, especially its use of bowls for divination or future telling.

"In Cape Breton, for example, we find examples of drilled holes in the bottom," so they could not hold water, Robinson said.

The biggest challenge facing the game if it is to grow, though: Actually finding a Waltes set.

"The games are handmade and there's not many people making them. They're hard to get," said Robinson.

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Try your luck at ancient Mi'kmaq game of strategy and chance | CBC News

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An ancient Mi'kmaq dice-and-bowl game of Waltes is making a comeback.

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A roll of the Waltes dice: how an ancient Mi'kmaq game is making a comeback

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A roll of the Waltes dice: how an ancient Mi'kmaq game is making a comeback

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A roll of the Waltes dice: how an ancient Mi'kmaq game is making a comeback

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ST. JOHN'S, N.L. -- Legend has it that the ancient Mi'kmaq dice-and-bowl game of Waltes was so much fun it was favoured by the spirit world.

Pronounced WALT'-iss, the game was exciting, fast-moving and often played to celebrate weddings and liven up long winter evenings.

"It changes so quick," said Kerry Prosper, whose family still has his great grandmother's Waltes set, featuring a 250-year-old bowl. "It gets people's spirits up."

The game, which has variations once played by aboriginal people throughout North America, is believed to date from long before contact with Europeans.

But its bowls were also used for spiritual quests that were discouraged by Christian newcomers. Waltes waned further over the last century with the cultural onslaught of residential schools, television and computers, and as older players who knew its complex counting rules passed on.

Now, though, it's on the rise again as aboriginal people increasingly seek out customs that once tightly bound their communities.

It's part of the annual Mi'kmaq summer games and tournaments in Cape Breton that offer cash prizes, Prosper said.

"It reminds you of old times," said Prosper, a member of the Paq'tnkek First Nation near Antigonish, N.S. "The humour that goes with playing, young and older people playing together or against each other."

Kris Moulton, owner of the Board Room Game Cafe in Halifax, said Waltes is an interesting blend of strategy and chance.

Waltes can be played in various ways using a hardwood bowl about 30 centimetres in diameter, hollowed to about three centimetres at its centre.

There are six disc-shaped dice -- one side round, the other flat -- traditionally made of moose bone, each with one side plain, the other with a design. There are 55 scoring sticks: one notched on both sides is often called The Old Man; three notched on one side are often called The Old Women, and 51 plain sticks.

Counting methods differ, but in one version three of the plain sticks are worth one point; Old Women notched sticks are five points, and the king pin or Old Man varies in value.

Players sit opposite each other with the dish between them on folded cloth or leather. The six dice are placed on the bowl with marked faces downward. One player takes the dish in both hands, raises it and brings it down with enough force to flip the dice.

If all but one of the dice land on the blank side, or all but one land on the design side, one point is scored and the roll continues. If not, the next player takes a turn.

A roll with all six dice facing blank or all six showing the design is worth five points.

Prosper described how competitors move their hands above the bowl to get the dice to fall one way or the other: "When you're playing, you can fan the dice. But the other person can do that also. It's almost like when you see people play curling and you can sweep the stone."

Malglit Pelletier, who grew up playing Waltes on the Eskasoni First Nation on Cape Breton Island, offered another tip: "When we all played at home we'd say the more you talk to the dice, the better they get," she said in an interview.

"You pound and you flap your hand back and forth. You try to turn them over."

Waltes can continue until one person has all the sticks or may go on indefinitely depending on how players decide to settle.

The game reminds Moulton of Pog, the '90s craze involving decorated cardboard discs. Metal or rubber slammers were used to flip the pogs face-up. Players who often built collections of pogs would decide in advance whether discs that landed right side up were "for keeps" or not.

Moulton said dice games are increasingly popular with his customers. Were it to cross over, Waltes might just be a hit.

"It's definitely something that people would be willing to try," he said.

Angela Robinson, an anthropologist specializing in Mi'kmaq research, teaches at Memorial University of Newfoundland's Grenfell Campus in Corner Brook, and has been demonstrating Waltes around the province.

The game also had a serious side, she said in an interview. The bowl itself was used by spiritual leaders who filled it with water, left it overnight and then studied it for guidance.

Missionaries who introduced many Mi'kmaq communities to Catholicism rejected Waltes, especially its use of bowls for divination or future telling.

"In Cape Breton, for example, we find examples of drilled holes in the bottom," so they could not hold water, Robinson said.

The biggest challenge facing the game if it is to grow, though: Actually finding a Waltes set.

"The games are handmade and there's not many people making them. They're hard to get," said Robinson.

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A roll of the Waltes dice: how an ancient Mi'kmaq game is making a comeback

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Legend has it that the ancient Mi'kmaq dice-and-bowl game of Waltes was so much fun it was favoured by the spirit world. Pronounced WALT'-iss, the game was exciting, fast-moving and often played to celebrate weddings and liven up long winter evenings.

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Read about Waltes on Page 9

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Grenfell prof puts spotlight on ancient Mi'kmaq game Waltes | CBC News

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A professor at Memorial University's Grenfell Campus in Corner Brook is shining a light on an ancient Mi'kmaq game that fell out of use in recent decades, but is now experiencing a resurgence.

Anthropologist Angela Robinson has been studying the game Waltes for two years and said she does not yet know exactly how old it is, although it pre-dates Europeans' arrival to the continent.

"As a pre-contact artefact, it had a central meaning for Mi'kmaq people. It had a spiritual dimension, it had a historical dimension," Robinson told CBC's Central Morning Show.

It's very, very complicated. - Angela&nbsp;Robinson

Robinson said the game was widely played in Atlantic Canada and for a number of reasons - from celebrating a wedding to settling scores.

"Hunting territories could be determined this way, the location of game perhaps. Things associated with healing," said Robinson.

The way to play

Waltes is one variation on a dice-and-bowl game played by indigenous peoples across North America, according to Robinson.

There are 51 playing sticks - four of them notched - along with six decorated dice made of bone, along with a wooden bowl.

"There's a lot of counting involved and it's very, very complicated," said Robinson.

"The object of the game is to get all the sticks from your opponent, that's when you win."

To do so, Robinson said you put the dice into the bowl and knock it against a soft surface such as a blanket to toss the dice.

"Depending on which way these dice land determines whether or not you get a point or more," said Robinson.

"It's not a skill game, as such, its more of a, to me, a game of chance."

Traditions lost and found

Robinson said the game struggled to retain its central role once European missionaries arrived in Atlantic Canada.

She said in Cape Breton many Waltes bowls had holes bored into their bottoms.

"Some people say that the missionaries did that because they didn't want them playing these magical games. They wanted Catholicism to be the focal point," Robinson said.

After that, the residential school system further alienated people from the game.

"Since there were no cultural beliefs or practices or values encouraged at the schools, it lost some of its resonance as a centrepiece of culture."

But Robinson said Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission's work helped put an emphasis on reclaiming lost practice.

That's meant Waltes has been increasingly featured in aboriginal events and gatherings.

"People felt that [Waltes] needed to be included because it was something that they had lost," she said.

In that spirit, Robinson held an event at Grenfell Campus on Feb. 9 that featured a talk about Waltes, with people playing the game afterward.

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Grenfell prof puts spotlight on ancient Mi'kmaq game Waltes | CBC News

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An anthropology professor is digging deep to document an aboriginal game.

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Agility, strength, balance, reflexes, hand-eye coordination, accuracy, strategy, intuition, and patience. These are skills Indigenous hunters and fishermen relied on to feed their communities. And those skills were learned at an early age through games and maintained throughout adulthood through play.

Indigenous Peoples, prior to colonization, led full, rich, balanced lives. Their lives were not, as often depicted in history books, an endless round of day-to-day struggle for survival. Generally, there was plenty of time for reinforcing, adapting and growing their cultures and recreational activities such as working on protocols, songs, dances, storytelling, carving, weaving, making drums and rattles, visiting, and playing games. Some cultures, for example on the northwest coast, did this for months and months in potlatches.

Geoclimatic regions influenced the types of games. Games in the Arctic developed the mental and physical strength necessary to survive in a harsh climate with extended periods of darkness. Great physical strength is required to harvest large sea mammals so games involved feats of strength, endurance, balance, focus, reflexes, flexibility, and patience. During the long, dark winter months games kept children busy physically and mentally and kept adults in top physical form.

Traditional Indigenous games taught valuable skills but also combined mental and physical well-being. Run and Scream is a great example. Children would line up, take a big breath, and start running fast while screaming until they ran out of breath. The spot where they had to draw their next breath was marked. With each turn, they tried to better their own distance and pass the marks of others. To an outside observer, it would look like a bunch of kids having fun running and screaming. But, in reality, it was a bunch of kids having fun running while building muscles, increasing the lung capacity necessary for fitness and to hold the long notes in songs, burning off extra energy, and releasing any stress.

Line tag, traditionally a Blackfoot game, involved children holding hands in a line and the person at the front of the line had to tag the person at the end of the line without the line breaking. A simple game that developed hand strength, balance, cooperation, and speed.

Métis children learned to follow directions by playing a map game:

A distinctly Métis game, the map game, helped develop children's ability to give and follow directions and promoted interaction between boys and girls. One of two teams hid while the captain drew a map for the opposing team, detailing the position of the hidden children. The map could be made very confusing but had to be legible. The opposing team would have to find the hidden children using this map. Once all the children were found, the opposing team hid and the captain drew a map. At each turn, the captain changed to allow every child an opportunity to draw a map. [1]

The Mi'kmaq dice-and-bowl game Waltes, which blends chance with strategy also teaches counting skills. This ancient game is believed to pre-date the arrival of Europeans in Atlantic Canada and was immensely popular. But, due to the influence of first the Christian missionaries and then the residential schools, the game stopped being played. It is, however, enjoying a resurgence of interest.

Typically, the games involve a minimum of equipment and simple rules. Others, such as the hand game Lahal, are complicated and can involve significant wagering, traditionally for fish, cedar hats and other items of value, although today money is more frequently used.

Lahal (Bone Game) is believed to have its roots in western Canada but versions of it are played by many Indigenous cultures. Games were shared between communities and adapted as desired. Lahal is played by all ages, by all genders, can be played by a few or by hundreds, it can end quickly or last hours. It's a game that develops observational skills and perception. It also develops the ability to concentrate as singing and drumming are used by the teams to distract their opponents and break their concentration. It's a complicated game to describe effectively so here's a video that captures the complexity, the strategies, and the community involvement:

A traditional sport that's enjoying a revival is the "Indian Relay Race" which is a bareback relay race. Fast-paced doesn't begin to describe it. The riders pretty much dismount at a full gallop at the horse exchange so you have horses galloping in, riders dismounting and leaping onto fresh horses and blasting off down the track. It has been described as the oldest extreme sport in North America.

Did you know lacrosse originated as an Indigenous game called Stickball?

The Native American games were seen as major events, which took place over several days. They were played over huge open areas between villages and the goals, which might be trees or other natural features, were anything from 500 yards to several miles apart. Any number of players were involved. Some estimates have mentioned between 100 and 100,000 players participating in a game at any one time. The rules were very simple, the ball was not to be touched by a player's hand and there were no boundaries. The ball was tossed into the air to indicate the start of the game and players raced to be the first to catch it. [2]

Some of the traditional games, or versions of them, are still played today and there are programs, such as the Arctic Sports & Dene Games, that continue the tradition of Indigenous Games.

[1] Todd Paquin, Darren R.Préfontaine and Patrick Young, Traditional Métis Socialization and Entertainment
[2] Origin & History - Federation of International Lacrosse
Featured photo: Shutterstock

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Agility, strength, balance, reflexes, hand-eye coordination, accuracy, strategy, intuition, patience. Traditional Indigenous games taught valuable survival skills but also combined mental and physical wellbeing.

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SD-391: How to Play Waltes Beverly/Kathy/Kiwnig

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How to Play Waltes from Beverly Jeddore. 

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How to Play Waltes from Beverly Jeddore. 

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SD-391: How to Play Waltes Beverly/Kathy/Kiwnig

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Mi’kmaq Waltes Games for kids by Calvin Stevens 

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Mi’kmaq Waltes Games for kids by Calvin Stevens 

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Waltes Game

Waltes: A Northeastern Native American Bowl Game

Waltes was a traditional game played by the Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Maliseet and Mi'kmaq. This version of the game is adapted from information found in Frank G. Speck's Penobscot Man (1940) and Stewart Culin's Games of the North American Indians (1907). The game rules have been simplified to allow elementary school children to play.
Materials
* Polymer clay, such as Sculpey™, in white or off-white
* Bamboo kabob skewers. Enough to make 51, 6-inch counting sticks
* 4 craft sticks
* A sturdy biodegradable paper plate for the waltes bowl

Make 6 round dice that are domed on one side and flat on the other. To make the dice, you may wish to shape them in a watercolor paint tray or mini ice cube tray. Follow directions for baking the clay. When the dice are cool, decorate the flat side with a permanent, felt-tipped pen. Use the same design to decorate all six dice. Use some of the dice designs below or create your own.

Next, make the counting sticks. Cut the bamboo kabob skewers into 6-inch lengths, discarding the sharp points. A pair of pliers works well for this task. You will need to make 51 plain, round counting sticks. To make the other counters, take 3 of the craft sticks and draw the fletching of an arrow on one side. On the remaining craft stick, draw the arrow's point.
Hudson Museum Game Rules for 2 - 3 Players
Each player takes three turns dropping the dice. A player shakes the six dice and drops them into the waltes bowl. A player who drops his or her dice on the ground, rather than in the bowl, loses his or her turn. For each die that lands with its decorated side up, the player is awarded a wooden counting stick (see scoring count above). After a player has completed his or her three throws, the dice are passed to the next player. If all four craft sticks are claimed by a single player, that player receives four additional round counting sticks as a bonus.

The game continues until all the wooden counters are distributed. Each player counts his or her sticks. Each round stick counts as 1; the arrow fletching counts as 5; and the arrow point counts as 6. The player with the highest score wins.

For each die that lands decorated side up, the player is awarded a wooden counting stick.
If 1.......1 round stick (1 point)
If 2.......2 round sticks (2 points)
If 3.......3 round sticks (3 points)
If 4.......4 round sticks (4 points)
If 5.......a stick with arrow fletching (5 points)
If 6.......the stick with the arrow point (6 points)

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Waltes Game - Hudson Museum - University of Maine

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Waltes: A Northeastern Native American Bowl Game Waltes was a traditional game played by the Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Maliseet and Mi'kmaq. This version of the game is adapted from information found in Frank G. Speck's Penobscot Man (1940) and Stewart Culin's Games of the North American Indians (1907).

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Waltes: More Than Just a Game - Isabel Martin and Janey Michael - The Unama'ki Project