Mancala board games
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Mancala board games
British Museum Press, 1997
Available at 2 libraries
  Aomori
  Iwate
  Miyagi
  Akita
  Yamagata
  Fukushima
  Ibaraki
  Tochigi
  Gunma
  Saitama
  Chiba
  Tokyo
  Kanagawa
  Niigata
  Toyama
  Ishikawa
  Fukui
  Yamanashi
  Nagano
  Gifu
  Shizuoka
  Aichi
  Mie
  Shiga
  Kyoto
  Osaka
  Hyogo
  Nara
  Wakayama
  Tottori
  Shimane
  Okayama
  Hiroshima
  Yamaguchi
  Tokushima
  Kagawa
  Ehime
  Kochi
  Fukuoka
  Saga
  Nagasaki
  Kumamoto
  Oita
  Miyazaki
  Kagoshima
  Okinawa
  Korea
  China
  Thailand
  United Kingdom
  Germany
  Switzerland
  France
  Belgium
  Netherlands
  Sweden
  Norway
  United States of America
Note
Catalogue of Asian and African mancala boards from the Ethnography Department of the British Museum
Bibliography: p. 78-79
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Mancala is a popular board game played across Africa, in Central and Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Its antiquity and origins are still disputed by scholars. Drawing on historical, literary and ethnographic evidence, this book aims to discuss the possible origins of mancala and its distribution. The basic rules and moves within the game are described as well as the diverse range of materials used in constructing mancala boards. The significance of the use of mancala boards during funerary ceremonies and male initiation rituals is examined, along with its role as a leisure activity played by men, women and children. The game continues to be played in Africa and Asia, reflecting its enduring popularity.
Table of Contents
- History of mancala - origins, basic rules, names, distribution, shapes of boards
- changing objects - cultural and social context, mancala and gender
- the making of mancala boards - material, carving, colour
- mancala playing boards - types of board, playing characteristics, pieces
- the art of mancala boards - symbolism, ritual use of mancala, prestige objects
- the future of mancala.
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