Item HT 41435 Document - Keith Hopkinson, Addressed to Dorothy Howard, Description of Chasing Game 'Poison Tiggy', 1954-1955

Summary

Game type: 'Poison Tiggy' (chasing game)
Alternative types: running games

Handwritten description of the chasing game 'Poison Tiggy' compiled by Keith Hopkinson, a student at East Fremantle Government Primary School, for Dr Dorothy Howard between 1954-1955. Hopkinson describes 'Poison Tiggy' as a game requiring between four and 20 players, which involves much running and dodging. He notes that it can be played both indoors and outdoors all year round. To play, Hopkinson explains that one child is elected 'he', who must chase the other players. If a player is caught, they must hold onto 'he' and assist with chasing the remaining children.

One of a collection of letters describing a children's game written to children's Folklorist Dorothy Howard between 1954 and 1955. Dr Howard came to Australia in 1954-55 as an American Fulbright scholar to study Australian children's folklore. She travelled across Australia for 10 months collecting children's playground rhymes, games, play artefacts, etc. This letter, together with the other original fieldwork collected by Dr Howard during this period, is preserved in the Dorothy Howard Collection manuscript files, part of the Australian Children's Folklore Collection (ACFC), Archive Series 3. The ACFC is an extensive collection documenting children's folklore and related research.

Physical Description

Handwritten game description in black ink on lined paper. Features a hand drawn annotation diagram below text; text written on one side only.