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78 P. 13. 80 Ball play Akin to war was the ball play, that is, the ball play was called the friend, or companion of the battle, probably because that in both the whole energy of the combattants was called into exercise. In each town of any note was a respectable man, having been selected to attend to ball plays. The ancient priests had nothing to do in ball plays. They were therefore never considered as being connected with their religious ceremonies. But when any young men desired to bring forward a ball play, they consulted their head man (with respect to ball plays) and resolved to send a challenge to a certain town or district, and selected one or two young men to carry the challenge. These messengers went directly to the ball play chief in their town or district challenged and spent some time with him before telling their business. They then notified him of the challenge, and he immediately gave notice to some of the players, and enquired his bounds, that is, how far he might go for players. This man, with seven others, as counsellors, were competent to act. In accepting the challenge, they appointed the time and place for playing. Anciently ball players must be men of good character, who would play honourably, without fraud or deception. They were famous, - men of renown. Each party then selected an elderly man to direct the dance, another person to sing for the players, another to whoop - a musician for the seven women, on the seventh night. They also elected a conjurer, and seven (players) to wait on him, and seven women to provide food for them, and to dance on the seventh night. An open place in the woods, having been selected, and a fire prepared, the party assembled about dark, and seated themselves some distance from the fire. In sue time, the director of the dance, calling the players, they came forward, with their ball sticks in their hands, the whooper then raised a war whoop, or one nearly resembling it, to which all the players answered, Wah. The singer then commenced Wa hi u (or more lately hye ko ku ni) wa hi u, &c. The players then commenced dancing, responding to the musician, hah, hah, hah, at every repetition of the word wa hi u, and making motions with their ball sticks, while dancing around the fire, as if actually engaged in play. The musician had a goard, with pebbles in it, which he rattled occasionally during the dance. When they had danced four times round the fire, the whooper raised the same whoop as at the commencement of the dance & ran off a few steps, to which the players responded, Wah, and stepping toward the east, to a place prepared and locking their ball sticks together, hung them up, and sat down about half an hour. Then the same manuevers were