Hoop and Pole
- 1 hoop woven from bent wood, hide, or cordage, sometimes with a netted or webbed center
- Several long, straight poles, darts, or throwing sticks per player
Traditionally played along a cleared lane roughly 6-10m long, though length varies by tribal tradition and player age.
One player rolls the hoop along the cleared lane so that it travels in a straight line away from the throwers.
As the hoop rolls, each player hurls a pole or dart toward it, aiming to have the pole land where the hoop will fall or, in some traditions, to pass through the hoop's open center.
Points are awarded based on how close the pole lands to the hoop, or on which section of the hoop's netted center the pole passes through, since different zones are often worth different values.
Players take turns rolling the hoop for one another so that everyone gets an equal number of throwing attempts.
Scores are tallied after an agreed number of rounds, and the player or team with the highest total is declared the winner.
Some traditions also subtract points for a pole that misses the hoop entirely, adding an extra layer of risk to each throw.