When I went to visit a friend recently I found one of her sons and a friend of his playing mancala. They had dug four rows of ten holes (technically known as "pits"--see below) in the sand and were using seeds from a tree as playing pieces.
According to a website I read on mancala, it is widely considered to be the oldest board game in the world and is known by dozens of different names.
For the uninitiated, let me explain a little about the game. It is played with rows of pits, either carved into a board or dug into the ground. Game boards typically have two or four rows. Some versions use pebbles while others use seeds as the playing pieces. The exact rules vary as much as the names. The number of pebbles used and pits per row also vary greatly. The essence of the game is to capture as many pieces as possible from your adversary.
I wasn't able to figure out the rules by which these boys were playing, but I only watched them for a few minutes. Here's a little video footage I took.
For the uninitiated, let me explain a little about the game. It is played with rows of pits, either carved into a board or dug into the ground. Game boards typically have two or four rows. Some versions use pebbles while others use seeds as the playing pieces. The exact rules vary as much as the names. The number of pebbles used and pits per row also vary greatly. The essence of the game is to capture as many pieces as possible from your adversary.
I wasn't able to figure out the rules by which these boys were playing, but I only watched them for a few minutes. Here's a little video footage I took.
I love it! They did a nice job making their holes!
ReplyDeleteWe just enjoyed a wonderful weekend with the Bob Wright family from Karamoja. It was so good to hear in person about the work there.