Multiple laps or relay sowing is a frequent feature of mancala games, although not universal. If the sowing action stops after dropping the last seed, the game is considered a single lap game. Sowing is an apt name for this activity, since not only are many games traditionally played with seeds, but placing seeds one at a time in different holes reflects the physical act of sowing. In a process known as sowing, all the seeds from a hole are dropped one-by-one into subsequent holes in a motion wrapping around the board. This selection is often limited to holes on the current player's side of the board, as well as holes with a certain minimum number of seeds. The object of mancala games is usually to capture more seeds than the opponent sometimes, one seeks to leave the opponent with no legal move in order to win.Īt the beginning of a player's turn, they select a hole with seeds that will be sown around the board. You can staple or tape them together if you wish, and you can use pebbles or beads as seeds. Children can even be encouraged to make the game themselves as follows: Take two half dozen egg cartons, tear the tops off them both, and arrange them in a long line (lid, base, base, lid). These games are good for getting children interacting and used to counting. With a four-rank board, players control an inner row and an outer row, and a player's seeds will remain in these closest two rows unless the opponent captures them. With a two-rank board, players usually are considered to control their respective sides of the board, although moves often are made into the opponent's side. Board configurations vary among different games but also within variations of a given game for example Endodoi is played on boards from 2 × 6 to 2 × 10. Nickernuts are one common example of pieces used. Playing pieces are seeds, beans, stones, or other small undifferentiated counters that are placed in and transferred about the holes during play. Sometimes, large holes on the ends of the board, called stores, are used for holding captured pieces. The holes may be referred to as "depressions", "pits", or "houses". Some games are more often played with holes dug in the earth, or carved in stone. Although the details differ greatly, this general sequence applies to all games.Įquipment is typically a board, constructed of various materials, with a series of holes arranged in rows, usually two or four. This leads to the English phrase "Count and Capture" sometimes used to describe the gameplay. Mancala games share a general gameplay sequence of picking up all seeds from a hole (the strategy), then sowing seeds one at a time from a hole, and capturing based on the state of board. In Ethiopia, where the game is thought to have originated, it is called "Gebeta" ( Ge'ez ገበጣ gebeṭā). The Yoruba people of West Africa call it "Ayo". The names of individual games often come from the equipment used for instance, bao is the Swahili word meaning "board".Ī variant called pallanguzhi is played in Tamil Nadu. Because of these considerations, and the fact that mancala games have reached the West from these multiple cultures, it is difficult to establish what names and rules, if any, are the "proper" ones. Historically, researchers have had difficulty separating the rules for games apart from strategic implications or favored setups, which has caused additional confusion over which games are distinct, or which names refer to the same game. Then, there are groups that give multiple games the same name sometimes one is intended to be played by men, another by women. Research in English refers to "games in the mancala family" or "mancala games", rather than "mancala variants" which would imply there is one main mancala game on which the others are based.Īdding to the confusion, widespread mancala games may go by different names in different regions, often with slight rules variations. In the Western world, "mancala" is often seen used as a generic name for the game "kalah". This word is used at least in Syria, Lebanon and Egypt, but is not consistently applied to any one game. In fact, the name mancala is the Arab name commonly given to some games of this type the word comes from the Arabic word naqala (literally "to move"). Even names which are rightly associated with certain games, such as "Awari", are frequently lifted and applied to different games. As such, these names are not wholly descriptive. Although these countries traditionally play the game, there exist several different ways of playing it even within those cultures. This perception is helped by marketing which often fails to differentiate variations or gives names like " Ethiopian" or " Nigerian". People unfamiliar with mancala games commonly assume there is a particular game with the name Mancala.
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