International Traditional Games Society – Montana’s Native Games

The International Traditional Games Society’s mission is to recover and restore ancient Native American games. Games were an integral part of many tribes’ daily life because games taught character, courage, and responsibility; they were ultimately seen as a key component to health and well-being.

MHF funded the International Traditional Games Society to research pre-contact tribal game pieces that are in the Montana Historical Society’s collections. Tribal experts identified and analyzed the game pieces. Their work and findings were documented, filmed, and reported.

Pre-contact games and recreation have a 10,000-year history in the Americas, but there is little state or national knowledge on the topic. With this research, information about indigenous games is available to curators, archeologists, paleontologists, tribal experts, and ultimately the public.