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Games have been a part of people’s lives throughout history. Today in Wisconsin, when people think of Native American games they quite often think of gambling and casinos. The Native American tradition of gaming, however, has a long history and is much broader than just casino gambling. In the La Crosse area, a game piece called a chunkey stone has been recovered from archaeological site that dates back to between AD 1300-1600. This is the only artifact recovered from archaeological sites in this area that can be specifically identified as a game piece, although there must have been others that archaeologists do not recognize.

Ethnographic accounts of early European contact with Native Americans indicate that a variety of games were played across the United States. There are similarities between many of the games played in different regions. Game rules changed from tribe to tribe and the materials that the games were made of varied from region to region, reflecting the differences in available resources. The purpose of the games also changed depending on the tribe and the region. Some games were played by specific people (men or women only), or were played at specific times of the year, while some were related to religious activities, ceremonies, or festivals.

Games served a variety of purposes from religious to amusement. Games sometimes were a means for children to learn important skills. Games encouraged social interaction within the tribe and with other tribes. Gambling on games provided the opportunity for the redistribution of wealth, both within and outside the tribe.