Pick up Sticks

The history of pick up sticks likely begins in ancient China. The Chinese had a version of the pick up sticks game in which intricately carved ivory sticks were used wherein the type of figure the stick had been carved into represented the point value. Cheaper versions were carved of bone or wood. Discovered by British traders in China, pick up sticks were popularized under the name of Spellicans. Later, when the British Colonized North America Spellicans were brought across the Atlantic where the name seems to have been distorted into Spilikins. Still, other North Americans began calling pick up sticks Jackstraws, likely in reference to the material of which they were sometimes made—colored or painted wheat straw. It should be pointed out that Native Americans played a game called Selahtikan in which reeds covered with painted dots (for scoring) were used. There is some ambiguity as to whether or not it was Asians crossing the Bering Strait land bridge, or the British who introduced the game to Native Americans. Regardless, this culturally diverse and ancient history, speaks to the longevity and playability of this great game.