Elias Griffin scoring a point during the Tsisqwohi v. Wudeligv game at the 112th Annual Cherokee Indian Fair. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photo)
By BROOKLYN BROWN
One Feather Reporter
CHEROKEE, N.C. – Elias Griffin, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), is an Anetsovsgi (Ball player) for the Tsisqwohi (Birdtown) Anetso (Stickball) team. Griffin said he comes from the Griffin and Ledford families, and he is a member of the Tsisqwohi (Birdtown) community.
Elias Griffin playing in the Tsisqwohi v. Kolanvyi game at the 112th Annual Cherokee Indian Fair. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photo)
Griffin has been playing anetso for three years. “My brother Kenny [Griffin] brought me out, taught me how to play, and I fell in love with it,” he said.
Griffin said travelling to Oklahoma in the summer of 2024 to play an exhibition game with Wudeligv was one of his favorite experiences playing stickball, “We had a fun time out there, and it was also my first time travelling out there.”
Griffin shared that for him, playing anetso is in his DNA as a Cherokee man. “It’s in our blood, it’s our tradition. One day, I want to teach my kids how to play stickball.”
