The remaining gems on the pits belonging to you will be counted as yours, and those on the pits of the computer will be counted as the computer's. When the pits on one of the rows are emptied, the game ends. The same rules apply to the moves made by the computer. If the last gem of a move lands on an empty pit on your side while the opposite pit contains gems, then you can capture all of the gems in both pits and put them to your store. If the last gem of a move lands on your store, then you can take one more turn by selecting another pit. When a pit is selected, the gems inside will be distributed one by one to the next pits in counterclockwise direction. You and the computer will take turns to move the gems, and each time you may click any of the pits on your row. The 2 large pits on the left and right of the board are the stores, with the one on the right belongs to you, and the one on the left belongs to the computer. This is a version of the basic game, known as two-rank. The upper row of pits belongs to the computer, and the lower row is yours. Mancala is an ancient family of board games, and there are numerous variants. On the game board, 12 small pits are divided into 2 rows, and each of the pits contains 4 pieces of gems. The nighttime spirits of the ancestors would participate in this “electoral combat”, influencing their preferred candidate to win, giving their seal of approval to the new chief through the result of one or several games.This is an ancient board game which dates back to the 6th century AD, and your target is to gather as many pieces of gems in your store as you can.

The Alladian and Baule peoples of Ivory Coast also used this game at night and behind closed doors to determine who would be the next chief. The players only play to entice and distract the soul of the deceased and any other lurking spirits. However, sometimes, people will take this risk for ritual purposes.ĭuring funerary wakes, mancala is played at night in Dahomey, for example. It is believed that an individual’s soul could be stolen, they could be cursed with sickness, their mother could die, if they were to play during the time the spirits are active. Anyone playing at night takes extreme risks in attracting malicious spirits and offending them with mortal play. At night mancala players leave their game boards and pieces outside for the spirits’ entertainment. When a Fon girl of Dahomey has her first menstrual cycle, she will seclude herself in her home for seven days as part of her initiation, which includes playing mancala. Women who want to give birth to twins will play against pairs of girls or boys. Playing with a girl will increase the odds of the baby being born female, playing against a boy will inversely make it more likely their baby will be male. It’s thought to have an influence on the sex of unborn children, so the Baule women of Ivory Coast play a special variant of the mancala game in hopes of influencing their child’s development. Mancala can also take on a more serious aspect.

The Dogon of Mali do not encourage children to play mancala for fear that it will bring misfortune to the village, but adults playing the game seemingly don’t carry the same risk. For example, The Wolof of Senegal traditionally forbid non-initiated boys from playing. In certain areas, it is seen as a man’s game, and in others areas, men don’t play, making it a female game.Īlthough mancala games have educational value in teaching arithmetic skills, some places forbid boys or girls from playing. The rules of who is allowed to play vary from place to place. The word Mancala is derived from the Arabic word Naqala (na-ka-la), which means “to move” or “to transfer” It is widely believed that Arab traders brought the game with them when traveling and it quickly spread all over Africa and the world, but it is uncertain to know where the game first originated. The board was carved out of limestone bearing a striking resemblance to modern-day Mancala boards.

However, the oldest Mancala boards were found in An Ghazal, Jordan in the floor of a Neolithic dwelling.

Ancient Mancala boards were found in Aksumite settlements in Matara, Eritrea, and Yeha, Ethiopia. There is archeological and historical evidence that dates Mancala back to the year 700 AD in East Africa. Mancala is one of the oldest known two-player board games in the world, believed to have been created in ancient times.

Mancala the real game