YORKTON - There are a family of games which really don’t seem to get the love and respect they deserve – at least on this continent.
I’m talking about mancala games which seem to have been largely relegated to a kid’s game here.
And while mancala games are an excellent way for youngsters to learn some math skills, they can also be highly competitive for all ages depending on which of many variations that exist you play.
Certainly a mancala board should be in every game collection and if you want a really nice board well the one from DEK is quite nice, coming with a cloth carrying case and real rock pieces – I personally prefer large beans but that is just me.
Via email I was able to ask Anna (Trufano), the owner and designer of DEK board games project a few questions.
Interestingly Anna began by admitting she is not an avid board game player, but older games hold a fascination for her.
“To play ancient board games for me is like going deeply to the roots,” she said. “It is a heartfelt connection with people with whom I play. It’s more to train the brain together and to concentrate on real communication without any gadgets. More real and pure. So I play different games with different people, it depends on the mood.”
But among the many mancala variations does she have a favourite?
“Mancala is a family of games,” she reminded. “There is a variety of games in different countries with slightly different rules. For example, In Indonesia it is Congklak. In Russia - Kalah. So my favourite is Mancala as we select for our project because I played only this game.”
It should be noted while rules do vary a board with 12 cups and two end trays allows several of the variants rule sets to be explored – although some need specific boards too.
What was the idea which led to producing a mancala board?
“This day I came back to the apartment in the mountains which I shared with my friends. One of my friend met me and invited to play the game, it was a foldable bamboo board with marbles,” explained Anna. “I have seen these game first time in my life and I didn’t mention how I played already the third round but still stayed in my snowboard pants. I was really excited with this game. So in the same day I decided to buy this game for my family but I did not find anything I really liked.
“Then I decide to make it in Bali. Fortunately I fond an amazing carver. I drew the shape in the piece of wood by myself and we did it together.
“Then I found that I have other ideas for ancient games and there is no similar in internet but for me that was very simple idea.”
So why should people want to play mancala?
“Generally the board game is a great opportunity to spend time with others,” said Anna. (Of course that is the great truth of all board games.)
But in mancala you do have a highly tactile game.
“The best element of the game are the stones,” said Anna. “You touch them, you count, and it trains your attention. I love it. I believe in energy of stones and rituals. I believe that stones keep the energy. We clean them with prayers and offerings and each set of stones contain the positive energy.
“I can compare Mancala only with other more complicated games, where you have a lot of rules and pegs, cards. You can play mancala on the paper or even on the ground - just make the holes and find some stones or other objects to play.
“I like this game because of its simplicity. Generally you have only five rules and it’s so easy to remember.
“What makes the special the DEK project that is it is still mostly made by one carver here on Bali, I gave the Carver's name to the brand. His full name is Kadek and short version is Dek. I love to support culture so that's why we use traditional textile Ikat in our bags for games.”
The DEK board is certainly a beauty, and the game ancient and worthy of exploration, so check them out.
