Chunkey is an ancient game that combines skill and luck. It originated in the Mississippian culture of North America and was played by Native Americans for centuries. The game is played with two players, each with a stone disc called a chun
Chunkey is a game of Native American origin. It was played by rolling disc-shaped stones across the ground and throwing spears at them in an attempt to land the spear as close to the stopped stone as possible. It originated around 600 CE in the Cahokia region of what is now the United States. Chunkey was played in huge arenas as large as 47 acres that housed great audiences designed to bring people of the region together. Cahokians spread chunkey and other aspects of their culture into the South and Great Plains. They likely used this sport and the threat of force to enforce a region-wide peace, termed the "Pax Cahokiana". It continued to be played after the fall of the Mississippian culture around 1500 CE. Variations were played throughout North America. Early ethnographer James Adair translated the name to mean "running hard labor". Gambling was frequently connected with the game, with some players wagering everything they owned on the outcome of the game. Losers were even known to commit suicide.