AOPPYC hosts workshops for Traditional Games

Jeston Morris

Gila River Indian News

The Akimel O’odham/Pee-Posh Youth Council (AOPPYC) hosted workshops for the traditional games of thoka and shoñgivul at the Sacaton Fairgrounds on May 3. 

20 players attended the workshop for the women’s game of thoka, which was held at the southeast corner of the fairgrounds. The face off had five members on each side with a total of ten players. The remaining players sat under the canopy to listen, observe and substitute as needed. The players use a wooden stick and a puck. The thoka stick is called “u’us ‘ga” and the puck is called “o’la.” 

“We are going to face off and everybody is going to go [to] their left. Our team is going to go to the east side of the cones to score. The opposing team are going to the west side of the cones to score. We use the u’us ‘ga to hit the o’la. You have to get the o’la pass the cones and pickup it up to score. Once a team scores, all the players come back to the middle. The team switches sides,” April Morago explained, coach and teacher for the thoka workshop. 

Thoka does not have out of bounds and the game is played on a harden dirt field.  

“If you are a spectator and the o’la goes into your area. The players are not going to stop, they continue playing,” said Morago.

In the past, thoka was played for trade or exchange. For example, one team puts up their baskets and the opposing team puts up their crops. Whoever wins gets the baskets or the crops. Since then, thoka has evolved into a competitive game for women of all ages. 

Over a dozen Community youth participated in men’s game of shoñgivul workshop on the west side of the fairgrounds. The wooden ball is made from mesquite tree, and it is called shoñgivul.  

“Shoñgivul is a pacing game. It conditions the runners for long distance journey.

The objective is to keep the ball rolling. Over the years, shoñgivul evolved into a competition where players race each other. Everything we do is counterclockwise,” said Antonio Davis, advisor, coach and mentor to the AOPPYC.

“The boys, they are sweeping the shoñgivul field. They are removing the small rocks that can hurt our feet,” said Junior Escalante, District 3 representative and organizer for the AOPPYC workshop. “We race bare foot. We race all the way down to the cactus rib. We kick/flick the shoñgivul along,” 

Shoñgivul is typically played in the Winter. After the Fall harvest, Community members compete against one another. There are shoñgivul fields in District 3 and District 6.

“During our shoñgivul workshop, we learn how to kick the ball without hurting our toes. We learn about the history of shoñgivul. Right now, we are taking care of our shoñgivul field, it’s our home,” said Escalante.

The grounds got too hot and uncomfortable for barefoot activity therefore the shoñgivul workshop ended by noon. 

“In the last ten years the Youth Council has been working on popularizing the shoñgivul competition. One day we like to see a large crowd along both sides of the shoñgivul field,” said Joseph Davis, coordinator for the Akimel O’odham/Pee-Posh Youth Council.