The myth surrounding the origin of Mancala may have its roots in the rivalry of Egyptian gods. During its history over thousands of years, the game has grown from a diversion for the Pharaohs into a spiritual and intellectual exercise. Requiring pure skill and excellent foresight, the game parallels a universal dialogue between opposing forces: king versus king, man versus man, and finally, friend versus friend in a good-natured battle. In Mancala, the rules of engagement are simple: you give and you take. Yet the mathematical complexity and sophisticated strategy required rival the intricacy of chess. The game is played on a board artfully carved from a single piece of wood, or even simple holes scooped from the earth. While the basic requirements are elegantly simple, traditional mancala boards are sometimes carved with a dazzling variety of design. And although the boards are usually wood, other materials used have included ivory, metal, pottery, clay, and stone. Each board has within it two lines of six cups, known as kahala or villages, with one additional cup for each player's warrior prisoners.
As players move their warriors around the board, villages are left undefended, and warriors end either triumphantly in their home kahala or are captured by the opposing player. The player who succeeds in a clever strategy to capture the most warriors (his own was well his opponent's) wins the game.
Today, Mancala has become an extended family of games as a result of centuries of conscious innovation as well as a result of accumulated errors in communicating the rules as the games spread. It is now known not only as Mancala, but also by the many names of its variations: for example, Awari, Bao, Soro, Mangola, Gabata, Mulabalaba, Ayo and Sadeqa. It has traveled the globe from the African continent, to America and other countries during the African Diaspora, to enthusiastic players all over the world.
