mancala

Nine adinkra symbols that convey West Africa's collective wisdom adorn the lid of this intriguing game of oware. It opens to reveal the playing field of twelve depressions. Oware is a game of skill and strategy designed for two players, challenging mental agility and alertness. The objective can be briefly described as "counting and capturing beads" and there are no chance factors involved. A player's strategy entirely depends upon reasoning and counting abilities. Because of this, aware has been used successfully throughout Africa for teaching children basic numbers and arithmetic.

Oware is one of the oldest games in the world. The earliest records describing the game were found in Arab religious texts dating to the Middle Ages, suggesting the game originated in the Middle East and spread from there to Africa, then to Asia with Arab traders, and to the Caribbean around 1640 via the African slave trade. Other experts place its origins in Central Africa; the Masai people state that oware was invented by Sindillo, the son of the first man, Maitoumbe, and was originally called geshe.

In Arab countries, the most common name for this game is mancala, an Arabic word meaning "to move." In some West African countries the depressions in the board are referred to as warri or wwari, which means "houses," thus the name owari. In Nigeria it is known as adi, which is also the name of the seeds used to play it; and in South Africa it is called ohoro. With different and exotic names such as congklak, dakon, aggalacang, and nogarata, it has also been played in Asia long before the Portuguese rounded the southern tip of Africa.

Today, oware represents the diversity of Africa, as some version of it is played in nearly every country on the continent. Legend relates that Shyaam aMbul aNgoong, founder of the Kuba kingdom of Central Africa, taught the game to his people to encourage foresight and calculation.

The set includes 42 beads and a detailed playing manual.

Complement your literary adventures with the tender sensation of an autumn dimension, where brown flowers announce times of harmony and calm. El Salvador's Sofía Mancía works with resin to recreate the magnificence of the fall season in this bookmark, whose beige nylon tassel makes it perfect for a handy reading experience.

Brown leaves rest on an ethereal composition made of resin by Sofía Mancía from El Salvador. The artisan works with advanced techniques to create the sturdy cover of this 80-page journal, whose leafy details in a warm palette imitate the regional forests on a peaceful evening. As an elegant touch, a burgundy nylon tassel dangles from the piece, allowing you to mark where your story is.

Designed by Ghanaian artisan Robert Kofi Ellis, this Oware game board adds a touch of African culture to any home. It is handcrafted of sese wood with aluminum accents to depict an elephant that holds the board atop its back. Oware belongs in the Mancala family, each player moving beads around the board in order to capture their opponent's pieces. A "capture" is awarded to a player when they can leave exactly two or three pieces in one or more of their opponent's houses. Says the artisan, "The Africa board game of Oware has been elevated to the ranks of chess, bridge, backgammon, draughts (checkers), scrabbles and all other classic “thinking” games by being highlighted at the 1st Mind Sports Olympiad which was held in London in 1997."

With a kindly but weathered face, Don Quixote de la Mancha comes to life in a beautiful cedar wood sculpture. He reads aloud to his sidekick, Sancho Panza, who takes notes on a leather scroll. Nicolas Chavez Sojuel masterfully depicts the beloved characters from Miguel de Cervantes' 17th century novel, sculpting the idealistic knight and his friend from fragrant cedar wood. Leather knapsacks hang from a trunk and rest on the ground beside the men, and Quixote wears tiny pinewood beads on his clothing.

The two feathers, two branches and the hanging leather bag are removed for shipping.

With a kindly but weathered face, Don Quixote de la Mancha comes to life in a beautiful cedar wood sculpture. He converses with his sidekick, Sancho Panza, as Quixote writes in an open book that reads "La locura es razón de la cordura" (The reason for madness is sanity). Nicolas Chavez Sojuel depicts the beloved characters from Miguel de Cervantes' 17th century novel, sculpting the idealistic knight and his friend from fragrant cedar wood. A lather knapsack hangs from a trunk beside the men, and Quixote wears tiny pinewood beads, inlaid in his armor. "Don Quijote is an iconic figure in Spanish and world literature," the Guatemalan artisan muses.