Samburu Mancala Gameboard
Ethnic Group: Samburu
Country: Kenya
Material: Wood, Metal
Size: 31.5" x 10" x 5"
Condition: Great.
Considered by many to be the oldest game in the world, the word mancala means "to transfer" in arabic, which is basically what the game is, the transfer of playing pieces from one bin to another.
Mancala shows the diversity of Africa as there is a version of this game played in virtually every African country. One of the earliest evidences of the game are fragments of a pottery board and several rock cuts found in Aksumite, Ethiopia (now Eritrea) and Yeha, Ethiopia beleived to date back to between the 6th and 7th century AD.
This particular piece is from the Samburu ethnic group living in Kenya. |
