Once-taboo game of waltes enjoyed by new generation thanks to Eskasoni woman

This story is part of a series from CBC's Eskasoni Community Bureau, based out of the Sarah Denny Cultural Centre. This series comes from weeks of conversations with community members about what they feel is important to see, hear and read on CBC's platforms.

MadelinePoulettehas been captivated by aMi'kmaw game known as waltesever since she was a little girl.

The 69-year-old grandmotherfrom Eskasoni, N.S., learned about the dice-and-bowlgame by watching her elders.

"The first time I saw anybody play waltes,I fell in love with it," said Poulette. "It just made me want to learn about it, made me want to stay. If anybody says they're playing waltes today ... I'd be the first one waiting around."

Over thepast five decades,Poulettehas been teaching the game of waltes. And now, she'slooking tomake the game accessible to all.

Poulettesaid her love of the game began in thesmall,two-bedroom home she shared withherparents, grandmotherand 11 siblings.

Learning the game

The family had no running water or electricity, and manylong hours were spent playing waltestopasstime.

"I was never allowed to count because that was the part elders did," said Poulette. "You have to just sit there and watch them. And once I started playing, I started asking questions. Isaid, 'What if this happened? What if this happened?' So then the elders then taught me."

The game of waltesisplayed by two or more people. The goal is to earn wooden sticks or points, whichare collected by flipping patterned bone chips in a shallow wooden bowl. The way in which the chips landdetermine the number of points earned.

Poulette said waltes is one of the longest-runningMi'kmawgames, but not the oldest. She said it was played long before the arrival of Europeans, and wasoften used to settle scores orpredictthe future.

"The priests that came, they said it was witchcraft," Poulette said.

"We had a medicine man or medicine woman, and you could go to her and play waltes.And she would tell you, if you were sick, where you would get these roots, or plants whatever you needed to make you better they were able to tell you all this from the waltes."

Gamehidden under floorboards

Inthe late 1940s and early '50s, Poulettesaid that Mi'kmaw people in Eskasoni would have to hide their waltes games.

Poulette, whose nickname is Sugar,saidboards and sticks would be takenby RCMPand fines handed out.

"They said we were gambling and it was witchcraft," she said."They took all our waltes and they burnt them. Later on, they just came and drilled holes in them and said we weren't able to use them."

Poulettesaid games would behidden in floorboards and in piles of wood. The gamewould only be brought out in the company of other Mi'kmaq.

By the early 1970s, Poulettetook what elders taught her and began teaching waltes to a younger generation of people.

She'staught the gameat Indigenous and non-Indigenous schools around Cape Breton. And in2010, she demonstrated the gametoQueen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, during a visitto the Halifax Commons.

Last December, Poulette was named role model of the yearby students at Allison Bernard Memorial High School for her dedication to preserving the game of waltes as part ofMi'kmaw culture.

Poulette said that since the start of her teachings, the number of people who can count points inwaltes has grown.

"If you go to the high school now, you'll find kids there now who can count," she said. "Some of these kids I've been [teaching] since kindergarten."

Poulettestill often travels around Cape Breton to count waltes games.

Waltes at the summer games

This summer, she'll also be in charge ofwaltescompetitions taking place at the Nova Scotia Mi'kmaw Summer Games in Potlotek from July 15-24.

After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Poulette is now working on new competitions, including a division for children with special needs, as she has a grandson who is blind.

"I'd like to have the Special Olympics for waltes," she said. "[My grandson]plays waltes, and in his hearing, is so keen. He knows when [the dice] falls off on the ground. He's just listening and laughing.

"It's a game of chance, soanybody can win. And it teaches them self-discipline, counting."

Organizers of this year's summer games say they are now considering Poulette'sideas.