CHOCTAW, Madam — As the drummers enter the field, the players behind them beat the beat with their hickory sticks. The rhythm envelops the stands and a palpable sense of anticipation flows through the crowd.
Indigenous peoples have played stickball for hundreds of years, and since 1975, teams have competed each summer in Mississippi for the title of perhaps North America’s oldest sport.
Stickball is a game of physicality and endurance and is often called the granddaddy of field sports. The annual tournament in Mississippi is the game’s premier event. The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians has produced some of the nation’s best players for generations. A team from Mississippi is almost certain to be defeated in any tournament or exhibition game in the country.
As the sun set on another sultry July day, hundreds of people gathered on the football field at Choctaw Central High School, sitting on Native American blankets draped over metal chairs. Others lined up folding chairs along the fence to catch a glimpse of the action.
Stickball, also called ishtaboli in Choctaw, is played with 30 players on the court. Each player carries two net sticks called kabotcha and a small, bright orange painted leather ball called towa.
Stickball fans say it remains pure. There are no pads, no timeouts, and no mercy. Players usually don’t even wear shoes. It’s not uncommon for people to leave the stickball court with broken bones from full contact, or cuts from a stick to the face. Any player who has possession of the ball can expect to be tackled or blown over by his shirt or pants.
“It gets your heart beating 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 just being Choctaw.”
Although the game is high-contact, it is so respected by the Choctaw and so central to their cultural identity that no blow is taken personally, no matter how intense. Players often hit each other so hard that their sticks fly through the air, and they simply get back up, nod to each other, and run across the field after the ball.
Variations of stickball are traditionally played by several tribes, with the rules established by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
Players are not allowed to hit each other with their sticks, although this routinely happens when players gather around a loose ball. Late and early tackles are prohibited and anything above the shoulders is prohibited.
Chief Ben, like many here, was given a pair of sticks as soon as he could walk. Some remember sleeping with them above their pillows and a ball underneath. Boys and girls play together in the youth tournaments the night before the men’s and women’s championship games each year at the Choctaw Indian Fair. All over town you see children with sticks sticking out of their backpacks.
The field is never empty. Kids play stickball before every game — living out their fantasy of one day winning on that same field. Between that, the snow cone stand, and the near-fanatical way the assistant coaches shout from the sidelines, it’s as familiar as any Friday night high school football game.
This year, Koni Hata, the 2023 men’s champion and one of the most dominant teams in the modern stickball era, defended its dynasty in both the men’s and women’s title games against neighboring Choctaw communities like Pearl River and stickball powerhouse Bok Cito.
The finals began with the women’s championship, Bok Cito Ohoyo taking on Koni Hata Ohoyo, who were looking for their second three-reat in the last seven years. Scoreless at the end of regulation time, the match was decided in sudden death when Bok Cito Ohoyo center shooter Leia Phillips scored with a running midfield shot.
“I said, ‘Yeah, this is my time to shine, this is my chance, you’ve worked all year for this,’” Phillips, the women’s tournament MVP, said after the match.
The men’s match between Koni Hata and Pearl River was very physical, with several skirmishes for the ball ending with sticks flying through the air “like I had a 9-iron,” an announcer said. Several players were treated by medics for various injuries, including a bleeding eye and a cut forehead. Earlier in the tournament, one player had a broken nose.
Pearl River had no trouble scoring during the tournament, amassing an impressive 41 points in the first three games. They scored in the first half, but the run was disallowed because there were 31 players on the court. Koni Hata scored in the second half, but that run was also disallowed because there were too many players on the court. But Pearl River scored late in the fourth quarter and took home the ceremonial drum, presented by Chief Ben.
As the Choctaw Indian Fair was winding down, Jackie Morris, the coach of the Bok Cito community team, stood in line for a hot dog. He made sure that every Bok Cito player who passed by had the chance to sign the drum that was slung over his shoulder.
“This is what we play for,” he said, stroking the trophy. Drums and sticks banged together on the field next door.
