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. When two magic seeds are placed in one hole of your opponent's side, all seeds in that hole will be yours.Mancala is one of the oldest known two-player board games in the world, believed to have been created in ancient times. If the last seed of a move landed an empty hole on your side, and there are some seeds in the opposite hole, then the seeds in the two cups will be captured in your pot. If the last seed of a move landed on your pot, then you can move again. To set up, place four 'seeds' in each hole, excluding the mancala pot. This goes on till a player finds a way to ensure their last seed lands in a pit on their opponent’s side which brings the tally of the seeds in such a pit to 2 or 3. This movement might see them cross into the opponent’s side or stay on theirs, depending on which pit they pick their starting seeds from. The first player starts by picking up all the four seeds and distributing them (one per hole) as they move through the pots in a right-hand (counter-clockwise) movement. Real multiplayer online, you will battle all people around the world. A special seed 'Magic Seed' is placed on each side, whenever these two magic seeds are in one of opponent’s holes together, the so called ‘Magic Harvest’ will happen. The totally new mode Magic Mode is innovated based on Oware. Every round will last 45 seconds, but you have to make a move during the round, if not, you’ll lose the game automatically thus it is more intense battling with real people. You can regret your move, extend time in your round and even place bomb to collect more seeds. The traditional two modes Oware and Kalah are added more joyousness by introducing tools during the battle. Right now we reinvented the game, with new mode 'Magic Mode' added on and bring a totally new experience for everyone. There are many variants including Oware, Kalah and etc. Mancala is one of the oldest known board games.

Mancala the real game