Congklak, Traditional Game of Indonesian

Congklak is a traditional game known with various names throughout Indonesia. Usually in the game, a type of clam shells are used as seed congklak and if not there, sometimes also used seeds from plants.

Games congklak done by two people. In the game they used the board called arrogant and 98 boards (14 x 7) fruit seeds called arrogant or fruit seeds arrogant. Typically arrogant board made of wood and plastics, while the seeds are made of shells, seeds, rocks, marbles, or plastic. On board there are 16 pieces hole arrogant which consist of 14 small holes facing each other and 2 big holes on both sides. Every 7 small hole in the side of the player and a big hole on the right side is considered as belonging to the player.


At the beginning of the game every little hole filled with seven fruit seeds. Two players face, one of which begin to choose an aperture that will be taken and put one into the hole on his right and so on. When the seeds out in a small pit that contains the seeds of others, he can take those seeds and proceed to fill, could be discharged in a large aperture of hers so he can continue by selecting a small hole in its side. when discharged at a small hole in the side so he quit and took all the seeds on the opposite side. But when stopped at an empty hole on the opposite side so he stopped and did not get anything.

The game is considered finished when it no longer can dimabil seeds (all seeds are placed in a big hole both players). The winner is who gets the highest seed.

Congklak has its origins in either Africa or the Arab world, depending on which scholar's theory you choose to believe. Some of the oldest evidence was found in National Old congklak boardGeographic-sponsored archaeological diggings dating back to 7,000 to 5,000 BC in present-day Jordan. Excavations of a house uncovered a limestone slab with two parallel rows of circular depressions. The layout was easily recognizable to an archaeologist on the dig as the Congklak playing board. Murray, a noted scholar, traced the origins to ancient Egypt's Empire Age (about the 15th to 11th centuries BC). Many experts surmise that Congklak may in fact be the oldest board game ever.

The earliest recorded writings describing the game were found in references to mancala in Arab religious texts dating to the Middle Ages. Some scholars believe that the game originated in the Middle East and spread from there to Africa. Then, the game spread to Asia with Arab traders and came to the Caribbean around 1640 via the African slave trade. Other experts place the origins in Central Africa.

Girls playing on an elaborate congklak playing boardToday, the game is known by numerous names around the world. The names are taken from the local culture using words that reflect where the game is played, the manner of winning, the mode of play and the board or counters used. It is referred to in English as Count and Capture.

In Arab countries, the most common name is mancala (an Arabic word meaning in English “to move”). In some West African countries the depressions in the board are referred to as Warri or Awari, which means houses, thus giving it the name Wari. In Nigeria the game is known as Adi, which is also the name of the seeds used to play the game.

The game is so popular that the British Museum's Museum of Mankind featured an exhibition of mancala, Wari and other Congklak playing boards in 1997.