Shinty was a game played by the pioneers in the winter and was a variation on a game played by Native Indians. Today we know it as hockey. Both the rules and the way the game is played have been changed.
Shinty was played on a frozen pond, river, or lake in the winter and on a piece of cleared ground in the summer. It was played with no goalie, no protection, and straight wood sticks. A round piece of wood was used as the 'ball' (pioneers of the prairie often did not have wood and used a piece of buffalo dung).
The game produces high scores and is played at a faster pace than hockey because their are no goalies. Strait sticks keep the ball (or dung) on the ice or ground. It takes great skill to play shinty well.
The game was originally played without keeping score. The idea was to control the flow of the game. The better the skills of skating, running , passing, and handling the ball (or buffalo dung) the more your team could be in control of the game. The game was won by showing the best individual and team skills and controlling the flow of the game.
