African Folklore: An Encyclopedia - Marshalls University

African Americans 475
objects were used for playing Mancala. Although the precise age of stone boards appears
difficult to determine, it is generally believed that some examples go back to the sixth
century CE or earlier. Boards found in ancient Egypt would predate existing evidence by
a few thousand years. The absence of game rules and the possible confusion with other
Egyptian board games prevent conclusions in this direction. Since Mancala is also played
in the sand, it is not inconceivable that Mancala predates all other existing board games;
evidence to this effect is not available.
Mancala rules have been recorded since the 1650s. Earlier mention of the game in
Arabic sources has given it the name Mancala, derived from the Arabic naqala meaning
“to transfer” or “to move things about.” The written sources do not predate the
archaeological finds, but recent studies of Mancala rules have given insight into the
distribution of Mancala. This distribution has been linked to migration routes, which may
go back several hundred years. Mancala is played in most parts of Africa, the Middle
East, parts of Central, and most of South and South East Asia. The game was introduced
to South America and the Caribbean during the African slave trade. Immigrants have
played the game in Europe and North America, and commercial and souvenir versions
have also reached the Europeans and Americans themselves.
The two-row variation is found in all the above regions of the world. Three-row
versions are known mostly in Ethiopia and four-row in East and Southern Africa with
few exceptions. Hundreds of variations have been described in Africa, a few dozen for
Asia, and only a handful for the Caribbean. Only recently has Asian Mancala received
serious attention, and large parts of the Middle East and Central Asia are poorly
investigated. The thesis that Mancala originated in Africa is largely based on speculation
and limited evidence from Asia.
Among the many descriptions of Mancala rules, specific sets of rules are found to be
similar across large parts of the Asian or African continent. These distribution patterns
follow known migration or trade routes. Rules found in the Caribbean have also been
described for West African games and date back to the African slave trade; the Swahilispeaking
people along the East African coast appear to play the same Mancala variation
that is linked to the Swahili trade routes; and rules found in the Philippines are almost
identical to those in parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Maldives, which date back to
contact prior to the thirteenth century.
The Caribbean game of Wari, a two-row Mancala game, and the East African game of
Bao, a four-row Mancala game, are best known for tournaments and players’ clubs. Other
games are played at home by women and children or during particular ceremonies. Such
ceremonies or rituals include weddings, funerals, divination, or ceremonies involving
royalty. In some areas, this means that the game is never played at night, as has been
recorded for the Caribbean. In other areas, the game is played during any festive
occasion, as long as there is time to play. Certain sculptured boards became prestige gifts
for royalty and were never played or intended for play.
The distribution of counters around the board and the distribution of Mancala rules
around the world have been central in Mancala studies. Mancala boards are also part of
art historical studies, which concentrate on the aesthetic qualities of Mancala boards
rather than the distribution or history of Mancala. Sculptured Mancala boards have
played a role as prestige gifts, particularly in West Africa. Plain boards appear to gain