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Evidence in Kikuyu
2 pieces of evidence found.
Id DLP.Evidence.642
Type Contemporary rule description
Game Kiuthi
Date 1903-01-01 - 1936-12-31
Rules 2x5-10 holes (six is the most common), six counters in each hole.
The player to go first is selected by one player guessing correctly which of his opponent's hands holds one counter.
Play begins from any hole in a player's row.
Counters can be sown in either direction.
If sowing fails to reach a hole in the opponent's row, the player makes a second move from a loaded hole in the opposite direction, continuing to do so until they can sow in the opponent's row.
If the last counter is sown in a loaded hole, the contents are lifted and sowing continues in the opposite direction.
Play continues like this until the last counter lands in an empty hole.
If the empty hole is in the opponent's row, play ends.
If it lands in an empty hole in the player's row, the counters in the opponent's hole opposite it are placed in the store, as well as the final counter.
If the next hole in the direction of sowing in the player's row is empty, the counters in the opponent's hole opposite that hole are also placed in the store.
Play continues until both players have only single counters in holes. These are then collected and placed in the store of the player whose row they are in.
If the number of counters is unequal, the player with fewer counters arranges them in their row however they wish.
The opponent then matches this arrangement, placing any extras in the store.
If the player has fewer than half of the original number of counters, the board is decreased in size by one hole.
If less than a quarter, it is decreased by two holes, and if less than one eight, decreased by three holes.
If in subsequent rounds a player regains more than one half/one quarter/one eighth of the original total, the board size is increased appropriately.
Play continues until one player has all the counters.
Content "As a child I learned to play the Kikuyu form of the game which they call by the name of "Giuthi"...
The Kikuyu do not as a rule have a wooden board as many other tribes do, but dig two parallel rows of six small holes in the ground (six holes a side is the common number but by agreement any number from 5 to 10 holes a side may be played) and into these are placed six round soluanum berries, or sometimes pebbles...
One of the players picks up one pebble or berry and putting his hands behind his back, juggles a little and then puts both his closed hands forward for the other player to choose which hang he will have. If he chooses the hand with the berry or pebble in it he has the move.
He may then pick up the six counters in any one of the holes on his own side and start his move. He may move either to the right or to the left and if he picks up from one of the end holes he may if he wishes start straight across on to hi opponent's side. He then drops one pebble into each successive hole (starting from the one next to the one where he picked up all six). He next picks up all the pebbles which are in the hole in which he placed his last pebble and starts to move back. This time he must move in the opposite directions from that in which he first moved...
each move only ends when the last pebble of a hand is put into an empty hole...
The object of the game is to capture all of the pebbles of your opponent, and this is done by placing the last pebble of your hand into an empty hole on your own side, in which case you capture all the pebbles that are in the hole directly opposite it on your opponent's side...
As the hole on his side next to the one into which he put his last pebble is empty he has also the right to take the pebbles in the opponent's hole opposite to that...and he removes them and his own pebble that made the capture from the board...
If a man moves the pebbles from a hole on his own side and his move comes to an end in an empty hole on his own side without his having had to cross on to his opponent's side, he has to make a further move for he has not yet raided the enemy's camp...
game proceeds until all the pieces have been captured by one or other players, or until there are only single pieces left which cannot be moved. The game is then over and each player counts to see how many he has captured, singles that remain on the board belonging to the player on whose side they are...
If they decide to have a second game, the player who has the fewer pieces has to put them out, and this time instead of having to arrange them symmetrically, i.e., in sixes, he may put his pieces out in any formation that he likes on his own side provided that he leaves no hole without at least one piece in.
When he has arranged them to his liking, his opponent proceeds to put his out in the same order, and the winner of the last game has the opening move of the new game...
If the loser has less than half the original number with which the game started (i.e., if in the game which I have described in which each player started with 6 x 6 pieces, B found himself with less than 18 pieces) the he has the right to "cut off" the two end holes on his and his opponent's sie and may elect to play with only four holes a side. Similarly if he has less than nine pieces he may elect to reduce the board to three holes a side, and if he has five pieces only or less he may reduce to two holes a side." Leakey 1936:165-173.
Confidence 100
Source Leakey, L. 1936. White African. Cambridge, MA: Schenkman.
Id DLP.Evidence.644
Type Ethnography
Game Kiuthi
Date 1972-01-01 - 1972-12-31
Rules 2x5-10 holes (six is the most common), two stores on either end
six counters in each hole preferred, 4-9 are also possible
The player to start the game is decided as follows: One player takes a stone or seed and hides it in one of his hands behind his back so that his opponent does not know which hand the stone
is in. He may place a small wad of mud in the other hand. The two hands are then brought forward and the opponent must guess which hand holds the stone. If he guesses correctly, he
begins the game.
Play begins from any hole in a player's row, and counters can be sown in either direction. if sowing fails to reach a hole in the opponent's row, the player makes a second move from a loaded hole in the opposite direction, continuing to do so until they can sow in the opponent's row. If the last counter is sown in a loaded hole, the contents are lifted and sowing continues in the opposite direction. Play continues like this until the last counter lands in an empty hole. If the empty hole is in the opponent's row, play ends. If it lands in an empty hole in the player's row, the counters in the opponent's hole opposite it are placed in the store, as well as the counter making the capture. If the next hole in the direction of sowing in the player's row is empty, the counters in the opponent's hole opposite that hole are also placed in the store.
*this source says a series of consecutive empty holes also make captures which is not corroborated in Leakey*
Play continues until both players have only single counters in holes. These are then collected and placed in the store. If each player has the same number of counters, the game is a draw. If the number of counters is unequal, the player with fewer counters arranges them in their row however they wish. The opponent then matches this arrangement, placing any extras in the store. If the player has fewer than half of the original number of counters, the board is decreased in size by one hole. If less than a quarter, it is decreased by two holes, and if less than one eight, decreased by three holes.
If in subsequent rounds a player regains more than one half/one quarter/one eighth of the original total, the board size is increased appropriately.
Play continues until one player has all the counters.
Content "KIKUYU, GIUTHI. Among the Kikuyu giuthi is played primarily by young boys when they are herding cattle of goats. Since the game is played on a very casual basis, holes dug in the ground are the most common form of board. Wooden boards are practically nonexistent. Small
stones are used as counters, or sometimes the seeds of the mubuthi tree. The board consists of two rows with anywhere from five to ten pits in each. Two-by-eight is preferred. The number
of stones in each pit varies from four to nine; six is preferred. At present, knowledge of the game is being lost among the Kikuyu. Even those who can play it, often make mistakes in the
rules and have to reminded by a bystander who happens to remember. One of them said, “If you haven’t been herding you don’t know the game.” And many of the boys today have not
been herding. There were special names for various pits and for certain moves, but no ones eems to know them now...
The player to start the game is decided as follows: One player takes a stone or seed and hides it in one of his hands behind his back so that his opponent does not know which hand the stone
is in. He may place a small wad of mud in the other hand. The two hands are then brought forward and the opponent must guess which hand holds the stone. If he guesses correctly, he
begins the game. (I wonder if this practice was introduced by Europeans as it appears to be unique.)
To make a move, a player picks up the entire contents of any one pit on his own side and sows
the stones, one in each succeeding pit, in either direction. When a handful ends, he picks up the entire contents of that pit and sows them in the opposite direction. Each time he picks up a
new handful, he changes direction. This complete lack of a mandatory direction is unique to giuthi. One is not permitted to start with a single stone.
A move is not considered valid until the player has crossed the border over into the other side of the board. If he lands in an empty pit before this he gets another turn. If, after having crossed
the border, he ends in an empty pit on his own side, and the pit opposite contains one or more
stones, these stones are captured. The stone making the capture is also taken off. Captured
stones are put in some safe place off the board. If the pit making the capture is followed by a
string of one or more empty pits each of which has at lest one stone in its opposing pit, these
are also captured. The move is over after all captures are completed and it is the opponent’s
turn. In any case, the move is over once a player has landed in an empty pit on either side after
having crossed the border at least once.
If a player cannot make a move because he has only single stones in any of his pits, he loses
his turn until such time as he has more. If, at any time, he has none, that game is over. The
stones left on the opponent’s side belong to the opponent. The winner is the one with the most
stones.
As with the Maasai, it is common practice to continue the game into a second phase. One
proceeds like this: The person with the less beads replaces them on the board in any
arrangement he chooses. Much experience is required to take maximum advantage of this
opportunity. Some versions of the game do not require one to replace all the seeds that one
has on the board. In addition, if the loser of the first game has less than half of his original
number of seeds, he may ask that the board be shortened by two pits in each row, to a
minimum of three. His opponent, the one with the most seeds, places an equal number of
seeds in each pit on his side opposite to the ones placed by the loser. Some versions require
that the winner place double the number in each of his pits, if the loser has less than half. The game then continues as before until one player cannot continue. The second game is begun by
the loser; after that the two take turns." Driedger 1972.
Confidence 100
Source Driedger, W. 1972. "The Game of Bao, or Mankala, in East Africa. Mila 3(1): 7-19.
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