Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Cultural Services

Choctaw stickball have been described as the father of all field sports.  With its use of a soft ball, rackets, referees, goal posts, and a jump ball to start the game, this ancient sport has parallels with a number of more recently developed games (Stickball Article).

While, Choctaw stickball equipment has changed a little bit with each new generation of players, certain basics remain the same.  The ball is round and covered in leather.  The sticks are made of hardwood (often hickory), and laced with strips of leather.  The equipment shown on the following pages represents some of the earliest surviving examples.  You will find that Choctaw stickball sticks haven't always had square handles, and that not all balls have been covered with a woven lacing.  You will also see the roots of today's game in the objects made by some of the ancestors who helped develop the sport into what it is today.