CHOCTAW, Miss. (AP) — As the drummers walked onto the field, the players behind them smacked their hickory sticks to the beat, creating a rhythm that enveloped the stands and stirred a palpable sense of anticipation within the crowd.
The ancient sport of stickball, played by Indigenous peoples for hundreds of years, holds a place of high regard every summer since 1975 in Mississippi, where teams vie for the championship of what is perhaps North America’s oldest game.
Stickball, a sport of physicality and endurance, is often referred to as the grandfather of field sports, with the annual tournament in Mississippi being its premier event. The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians has a storied history of producing some of the country’s finest players, making Mississippi teams the ones to beat in any tournament or exhibition game nationally. With no pads, no timeouts, and no mercy, the game remains intensely pure.
As the July sun set on a sweltering day, hundreds gathered at the Choctaw Central High School football field, settling onto Indian blankets draped over metal seating or lining their folding chairs along the chain-link fence for a close view of the action. Stickball, known as ishtaboli in Choctaw, features 30 players on the field, each wielding two netted sticks called kabotcha, and a small woven leather ball painted bright orange, known as a towa.
Among stickball enthusiasts, the sport’s purity is paramount. Players typically eschew shoes, and it’s not uncommon for competitors to leave the field with broken bones or gashes from sticks to the face. Any player with the ball can expect to be tackled or pulled down by their jersey or breechcloth.
“It makes your heart just beat like a drum. Just the intensity of the sport,” said Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Chief Cyrus Ben. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what color jersey or what team, it’s being Choctaw.”
Despite its high-contact nature, the game is deeply respected within the Choctaw community and central to their cultural identity. No hit is taken personally, no matter how severe. Players often collide with such force that sticks fly through the air, yet they simply get back up, acknowledging each other with a nod before racing down the field after the ball.
Stickball variations have been traditionally played by several tribal nations, with rules established by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Players are not allowed to strike each other with sticks, although it’s a common occurrence when they scramble for a loose ball. Late and early tackles are forbidden, and hits above the shoulders are off-limits.
Chief Ben, like many, was given a pair of sticks as soon as he could walk. Many recall sleeping with their sticks above their pillows and a ball underneath. Boys and girls play together in youth tournaments the night before the men’s and women’s championship games each year at the Choctaw Indian Fair. Throughout the town, children can be seen with sticks poking out of their backpacks.
The field is never empty. Children play stickball before each game, living out their dreams of one day claiming victory on the same ground. Between that, the snow-cone stand, and the almost fanatical cheers from the assistant coaches, it mirrors the familiarity of any Friday night high-school football game.
This year, Koni Hata, the 2023 men’s champion and one of the dominant teams in the modern era of stickball, defended its dynasty in both the men’s and women’s title games against neighboring Choctaw communities like Pearl River and the powerhouse Bok Cito.
The finals began with the women’s championship, featuring Bok Cito Ohoyo against Koni Hata Ohoyo, which aimed for its second threepeat in seven years. Scoreless at the end of regulation, the game was decided in sudden death when Bok Cito Ohoyo’s center shooter, Leia Phillips, scored with a running midfield shot.
“I said, ‘yeah, it’s my time to shine, this is my shot right here, you worked all year for this,’” Phillips, the women’s tournament MVP, said after the game.
The men’s match between Koni Hata and Pearl River was fiercely physical, with several scrambles resulting in sticks flying through the air, “like my 9-iron,” one announcer quipped. Medics treated several players for various injuries, including a bleeding eye and a gash across the forehead. Earlier in the tournament, a player had suffered a broken nose.
Pearl River had dominated tournament play, scoring an impressive 41 points in its first three games. However, they had a point negated for having 31 players on the field during the first half of the final. Koni Hata also lost a point in the second half for the same infraction. Ultimately, Pearl River scored late in the fourth quarter, securing the ceremonial drum presented by Chief Ben.
As the Choctaw Indian Fair wound down, Jackie Morris, coach of the Bok Cito team, waited in line for a hot dog, ensuring every passing Bok Cito player had a chance to sign the drum slung over his shoulder.
“This is what we play for,” he said, patting the trophy. Nearby, the sounds of drums and sticks continued to beat together in harmony.
