Winter Finger-String Games Michele Laughing- Reeves

from December 2019 Gallup Journey Magazine

by Gallup Journey

Event Calendar

yes these pics are not of good quality

Manami Arviso making a “tepee/ parachute” out of string

Winter Finger-String Games

By Michele Laughing-Reeves

One fond memory from my childhood is playing with string during the long winter evenings. The setting for playing string games or making string figures is perfect during the long winter nights, when it’s too cold outside to do anything, including chores. With the wood stove keeping us warm, my brothers and sisters would each find a cozy spot and a long string and then start making different shapes out of it. For us, as children, the point of playing was to make as many different figures as possible. Sometimes there were new configurations to learn, especially if you were gifted with patience and hand-and-eye coordination. Of course, we had to pace ourselves through the months of December and January, but I don’t ever remember getting tired of it.

Finger-string games are common throughout the world; however, the Navajos only play string games during the winter months. My understanding is that the Navajo concept of hozho teaches the interconnectedness of humans and nature, and that is why finger games are only played when spiders are hibernating. As a Navajo weaver, I truly appreciate this concept. Since Spider Woman took the time to teach Navajos how to weave, we should respect her and spiders enough to adhere to hozho.

There are literally hundreds of different finger-string games and storytelling from different cultures around the world. Archeologists have discovered that finger-string stories and games have existed as long as recorded history and from all corners of the planet. Finger-string games were a part of tribal storytelling and amusement in such places as Africa, Australia, Asia, Europe, and even in the Yukon Territory. As history teaches that exploration and trade caused the spread of commerce, resources, and knowledge, it has also helped in sharing cultural music, art, and entertainment. Finger-string games are often passed along from place to place, like sports and music. One ancient Japanese painting depicts a couple playing Cat’s Cradle, the 1700s’ term given to the string game by a European philosopher. Cat’s Cradle is played with two or more players who make a series of string figures without duplicating any previous figures, and the game ends when a player cannot make another figure. Another narrative describes how a man used his skill to create figures out of string to save his life, by entertaining the hostile natives in the middle of his

My version of a “rug.”

expedition through the rainforest. Today, as it was during my childhood winters, people make string figures for fun, for sibling competition, for stress relief, or just because it’s addictive.

The steps to making a string figure is as numerous as the different names given to the same figure/shape. My siblings and I never knew the correct terms for each figure, so we just called them by what they looked like—lightening, bird’s nest, a rug, tepee, two tepees, train, coyotes-runningaway, flipping over, and more. In other places, the same figures are called Jacob’s Ladder, canoe, diamonds, North Star, Palm Tree, Cup-and-Saucer, Indian cot, and others. Not only are finger-string games or storytelling addictive and nostalgic, it is another way to show that we, everyone on Earth, are connected. No matter who you are and how or when you play finger-string games, you are continuing the tradition of this universal skill. However, if you are feeling left out, find a string that is at least one meter in length, go to Youtube, and start your addiction now. In fact, with Christmas coming up, stores have stocked up on “As Seen on TV” colorful strings just for the purpose of making money from this age-old tradition.

With the early snow fall this year, Navajos and those living near the reservation can endure the long, dark evenings creating string figures. Making string figures is like riding a bike, you never really forget how. I can only make about a dozen different string figures, and I’m always willing to learn more, perhaps even the “Palm Tree.” For now, this is my advice: find a long string, tie its ends together, and carry it in your pocket—you never know, it might just save your life, or “knot.”