Mancala is a popular strategy game for two players that is played by tribes all across Africa. Some historians say that Mancala is the oldest game in the world. In fact, there is a version of the game in nearly every single country in Africa. The name Mancala is Arabic for “to transfer.” Depending on the country and the tribe, there are many different names for this game, such as ti, kpo, wari and omweso. Each tribe also has a small variation on the rules, but no matter where you play or with whom or what they call it, the basic rules are the same.
Mancala has been played in tribes for centuries, but now it is enjoyed all over the world, and you can play, too. You don’t need a fancy Mancala board to play. In some tribes, they just dig holes in the ground and use seeds to play. Another simple way to make a board is to use an egg carton. It has the perfect amount of small bins; the two large bins on the end, however, can be small bowls or just piles at the end of the carton. You also need 48 small pieces, whichcan be made of anything small lying around.
How To Play
- First set up the board by putting 4 pieces in each small bin on the board (there should be 12).
- One player starts the game by picking up all four pieces in any bin on their side.
- Then they drop one stone in each hole that they pass as they move counter-clockwise down the board.
- If the last piece is dropped in their own large bin, then they get another turn
- If it is in an empty hole on their own side, they can capture any pieces on the opposite side (they place the captured pieces in their own large bin).
- If it is an empty hole on the opponent’s side, their turn is over.
- If it is dropped in a full hole, pick up the pieces in that bin and continue.
- The next player repeats the process.
- The winner is the player with the most pieces in their large bin at the end of the game (Kalaha).
- The game is over when all six small bins on one side are empty.
