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In November 1997 I flew to London to
visit the Museum of Mankind, the former ethnographic wing of the
British Museum, to view their exhibit of mancala boards.
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These boards ranged from those of crude and hasty manufacture — the quicker to begin playing! — to pieces of great artistry. The exhibit included two and four row boards, having three to twelve holes per row. Six and seven holes per row were most common. |
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Some boards had end holes for captured pieces, storage compartments, pedestals and other features. The intricate carvings of some boards may have been work commissioned by royal patrons. Others simply reflect the prestige of the game or the creativity of the artist. |
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Boards on display came not only from Africa, but from Asian countries. Long before the Portuguese rounded the southern tip of Africa, East Africa was shipping iron to India, and Chinese sailing vessels had carried a live giraffe back to the Emperor. It is possible mancala found its way east during this period. Boards from the West Indies were also exhibited. |
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Surrounded by cases displaying more than a hundred boards, a single display case stood apart, holding a carving of a seated figure with a game board. This was Shyaam aMbul aNgoong, founder of the Kuba kingdom of Central Africa. It is said that he taught the game to his people to encourage foresight and calculation. Though the simplest forms of mancala can be played by children, the version called Bao taxes the minds of masters in tournament play. In Uganda, tradition demanded that the new king play another tough mancala game, Omweso, as part of the ceremony for his ascension to the throne. This was reckoned a test of the new king's subtlty and skill. |
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The exhibit was popular. Teachers led groups of English school children into the hall continually. The Museum had Indonesian boards, carved in the form of fish, mounted on tables for the use of visitors. Children played eagerly, and more than once museum guards pleaded for quiet as cheers and whoops rang through the halls. |
| It would be hard to find a better showcase for ethnomathematics, or a more attractive introduction to arithmetic! |  |
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I am indebted to Sapient Software, publishers of 'Oware!', as it was their web page announcement of the exhibit that alerted me in time to make the trip. (The exhibit was not mentioned on the Museum of Mankind's web site.) |
Unless specified otherwise, photos on this web page were taken by
Andrew W. Nourse.
