Based on over 30 years of research, fieldwork, observation and firsthand participation, anthropologist Dr. William Meadows has published a new book about one of the oldest living Indigenous gaming traditions – the Native handgame.

“The Handgame of the Kiowa, Comanche and Apache: Spirited Competition on the Southern Plains” is an ethnic study that explores the game’s culture and history.

Meadows is also a professor of anthropology and Native American Studies at Missouri State University. To mark Native American Heritage Month in November, he talks about the book and the significance of this lasting tradition.

Read the full transcript

At 7 p.m. Nov. 17, Missouri State will host the Plains Indian Handgame in the Plaster Student Union on campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Get a copy of the book