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This book discusses the constellation of ceremonial activities that constitute the Cherokee anetso complex, including the proper Cherokee linguistic terminology. It notes that anetso, like several other single- and double-racket ball games played by First Nations or Native American peoples, is a precursor to the game of lacrosse, and explains that people were playing it long before 1867, when the rules of lacrosse were standardized. The chapter observes that anetso appears in foundational Cherokee cultural narratives that have the same significance as those found in the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, Qur'an, Bhagavad–Gita, or any other texts considered to be key components of particular religious systems.

This chapter is an examination of anetso as an expression of Cherokee identity during the period between 1799 and 1836, beginning with the entrance of Christian missionaries into the Cherokee Nation and concluding with the forced removal known as the Trail of Tears. It uses written accounts from the period, primarily by missionaries, to gauge the significance of anetso as an important cultural activity. The chapter presents brief discussions of two events, the so-called “religious revivals” of 1811–13 and what is known as “White Path's rebellion,” from 1824 to 1827.

This chapter focuses on the utilization of anetso as a cultural presentation of identity and also treats the prevalent notion of cultural degeneration that in the past has been endemic to scholars of First Nations cultures. It contextualizes events in the first several decades of the twentieth century with selected examples that span several hundred years. The chapter argues that the concept of withering, or degeneration, particularly when part of an organic metaphor, is a problematic assumption both in general and specifically with regard to anetso and the ceremonial complex.

This chapter considers two main points: 1) What are the “meanings” of anetso, according to cultural consultation and scholarly investigation; and 2) What is the history of scholarship regarding the game/ritual divide? It interrogates the work of Stewart Culin and Claude Levi-Strauss, along with scholars who have followed in their considerable wakes, and notes that while the Cherokee term anetso occurs most frequently in the written record as the name of the Cherokee ball game, the term translated as “little war” also appears. The chapter explains that Raymond Fogelson provided a nice summary of the most common explanation given for the ball game.