Tohono O'odham Dice Stick Game

Tohono O'odham man playing the game of Gins. Photo by Helga Teiwes

This game is called Gins (geents). It is played with four flat sticks, 4 inches by 10 inches long, called ginskud (geentskoot). They are traditionally made of Saguaro cactus ribs. Sometimes the back of the stick is slightly round, while the front side, with the design on it, is flat. The dice are left their natural color and the design is burned onto each one. Each of the four sticks has a different design which is worth a specified number of points.

How to Play

The four dice sticks are held together virtically in one hand and struck from underneath with a flat rock held in the other hand. The sticks fly into the air and land on the ground. If any of the sticks are touching another stick, the hit does not count and the turn must be taken again.

The scoring is as folows:

Two sticks = 4 points
Thorns = 6 points
Braid = 14 points
Mountains = 15 points

Any two designs up and two backs up = 2 points
Any three designs up and one back up = 3 points
All designs up = 5 points
All backs up = 10 points
Two sticks and three backs up = 4 points
Thorns and three backs up = 6 points
Braid and three backs up = 14 points
Mountains and three backs up = 15 points

The score is tallied by moving small rocks called horses around a rectangle marked on the ground (or board). Each player usually has two horses. The board is approximately 3 feet by 2 feet, with 10 marks (holes) on each side. Two opposite corners have an additional house called a Kee, consisting of five holes (not including the corner door (Jouta). To start the game, a player must throw at least a five to get out of their house. If another player lands on the same space, he defeats the first player and sends his horse back home. Winning the game requires getting all of your horses around the board and back home, entering your house with the exact number.