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Evidence for Dama (Kenya)
1 pieces of evidence found.
Id DLP.Evidence.848
Type Ethnography
Location 2°16'5.43"S, 40°54'5.58"E 4° 2'41.51"S, 39°40'4.05"E
Date 1940-01-01 - 1980-03-31
Rules Played on an 8x8 board. 16 pieces per player, lined up in the second and third rows (first row on each side is empty). Pieces move forward or horizontally one space, and capture opponents' pieces by jumping in these directions. When they reach the opposite side, they become a king and can jump opponents' pieces from any distance orthogonally. Captures must be taken if possible, and the maximum number of jumps must be made. Multiple captures cannot be made by moving 180 degrees from the previous jump. Pieces can be promoted to king mid-jump. Winning is achieved by capturing all of the other player's pieces or by blocking them so they cannot move.
Content Dama played in Lamu and Mombasa, generally considered as an "Arab" alternative to "African" bao. Played with the rules of dama as seen elsewhere. Said to have been played since the 1940s at least. Townshend 1986: 106–108; 218–259.
Confidence 100
Source Townshend, P. 1986. Games in culture: A contextual analysis of the Swahili board game and its relevance to vaariation in African mankala. Unpublished PhD dissertation, University of Cambridge.
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