|
Evidence for Sher Bakr
1 pieces of evidence found.
Id DLP.Evidence.1632
Type Ethnography
Location 31°13'36.77"N, 75°33'40.34"E
Date 1929-01-01 - 1929-12-31
Rules An isoceles triangle, with the height of the triangle and two lines, which bisect the sides of the triangle, but intersect the height at the same point, roughly central, such that they are at an angle but do not bisect it. One player plays as the tiger, which begins at the apex of the triangle, the other as four goats, which begin on the central point. The goats play first, removing one of the pieces from the stack to an adjacent empty spot. The tiger moves along the lines to an empty adjacent spot. The goats also move in this way. Goats may only be stacked on the central point. The tiger may capture a goat by jumping over it, and a jump from one side of the triangle to the opposite side, over the central point, is allowed. The goats win by blocking the tiger from being able to move, the tiger wins by capturing one goat.
Content "The game that is described in this note is a type of tiger-play prevalent in the district of Shahpur in the Punjab. It is known locally as the game of sher-bakr, I.e., tiger-goat. The details of the game were obtained from the sub-assistant surgeon in charge of the dispensary of Pail (Shahpur) in the Salt range, a locality I had an occasion to visit during the Puja vacation of 1929...The diagram that is used for playing this game is given below( Fig.1): Two persons are necessary for playing this game, one being in charge of one piece, the tiger, and the other in charge of four pieces, the goats. At the commencement of the game the four goat pieces are to be kept at A and the tiger piece at the apex of the triangle, I.e., at the point marked 1. The possessor of the goat pieces has to move one of his pieces first and then the usual rule is followed according to which a goat piece and the tiger piece can be moved only from one cross-point to another. But there are two rules of this game which are worthy of special notice.In all other types of tiger-play which have hitherto been recorded...the tiger piece may jump over a cross-point occupied by a goat piece provided the cross point next to it and in the same straight line is vacant and capture the goat piece. According to the rules of the game as prevalent in Shahpur, the tiger piece may capture the goat piece in this way, while it may also, for the purpose of capturing a goat piece, jump found the angle A either from 2 to 4 or from 4 to 2...It may also be pointed out that there cannot be more than one goat piece on one cross-point though at the angle A there may be more goat pieces than one. If, however, the tiger piece succeeds in jumping over A and if at that time there are goat pieces more than one only one piece may be captured...The goats try to checkmate the tiger and this attempt cannot succeed unless all four goats are in activity; hence if only one goat is captured the owner of the tiger piece is victorious." Das Gupta 1930: 411-412.
Confidence 100
Ages Adult
Source Das Gupta, H. 1930. "On a Type of Sedentary Game Prevalent in Shahpur, the Punjab." Journal and Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 26: 411-412.
|
