How to play ayo game

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Google Translate. Menu Surrey Fusion Festival. Nigeria: How to Play Ayo Tweet. About Ayo Ayo pronounce aah-yoh is a traditional game played by the Yoruba people who reside in South Western Nigeria. Learn more ». We have reduced support for legacy browsers. Trending with Friends Activity Feed g Register or sign in to start receiving activity updates from around Kongregate! Host Your Game on Kongregate An open platform for all web games!

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It is very unlucky to play the game at night as the spirits will want to join in and may carry off the living at the end of the game. Each village would have two types of boards, one with a flat top and one with a curved top, a bit like a banana. It should be stated that these are traditional values that relate more closely to the origin and cultural significance of Mankala; nowadays, this game board is played worldwide and many of the original values are not upheld or recognized.

The figural supports created on either side of the game board may also represent certain cultural values of the Yoruba people. As stated previously, there is a male figure between two female figures on each side of the board. Relationships are said to be an important part of their culture, and the relationship between men and women may be reflected in this piece of art. Traditionally, Ayo game boards are made of wood and are carved with intricate designs.

The sound of the seeds, or whatever medium one uses for game pieces, dropping into the depressions is said to rhythmic, and the wood becomes smooth and conditioned from the constant motion of the game pieces.

Game boards can also be made out of clay, rock, or even simply by carving circular depressions into the ground seen in the photograph to the right , while game pieces can range anywhere from seeds to nuts to cowrie shells, even pebbles are acceptable, but it is important that the pieces are fairly uniform in size and shape.

It is important to compare this particular Yoruba piece with other artwork from the same region in Africa in order affirm its origin as well as analyze specific perspectives in relation to features that distinguish this piece from other Yoruba works of art.

It has previously been noted that the majority of mankala game boards created throughout Africa are not elaborately carved, and the fact that this Ayo does contain carvings of people on both of the longer side of the board as well as a head at one of the shorter sides means that this board was created for someone of high political or social status.

The facial features of the people on the game board are also of importance. The faces show scarifications on the cheeks and forehead that allow the viewer to associate this Ayo board with an artist from the Yoruba region of Africa in Nigeria.

The rather different hairstyle, or coiffure resembles a crest running from the front of the forehead to the back of the neck, along with the bulging eyes, elongated nose, broad nostrils and large lips also provide important information in relating this piece to the Yoruba peoples. The large, protruding almond-shaped eyes are also a very important characteristic of Yoruba carvings.

These features can also be seen on the Yoruba wooden form represented in Figure A. In comparison with other mankala boards found throughout Africa , the Ayo game board analyzed in this paper is not all that detailed. The wood is worn and has not been treated with any type of dye, unlike many others which are very dark and polished. It appears as though it may have had some type of darker finish, due to the small remnants that remain of the darker wood, but overall it looks as the finish has been removed.

The game board to the left Figure B is elaborately carved and the fact that it is made with two rows of six pockets denotes that it is from northern or western Africa, and this particular board is from Sierra Leone, which is west of Yoruba. The simplicity of the Ayo game board in comparison with other mankala boards from the same region could mean a number of different things.

It is possible that it was a piece created for someone that was not of exceptionally high social status, but it is also possible that it is an older piece and some detailed that may have been present when the piece was first created have been worn off. It is important to note that the piece cannot date before the 19 th maybe even 20 th century, since wood can deteriorate very quickly, especially in Africa where termites are very prominent. Although the figures on the Ayo game board are not painted, they are very similar to a more recent sculptural piece from the egungun cult of the Yoruba Figure C.

This particular piece depicted in Figure C is from the Abeokuta region. The facial features are very similar and the stature and positioning of the body as well as the technique used to carve the hands are very much alike. The reaching out of the arms as well as the proportionality of the features share a striking resemblance to the game board under speculation.