NEW RARE Hand Carved Wooden Ebony Bao Mancala Game Board w Seeds Central Africa

Very Rare Bao game handmade in wood, probably ebony. Both outer sides are hand carved and decorated with elephant profiles. The interior is composed of 30 "mashimo" houses and 2 "nyumba" granaries. There are the 64 original seeds to be used as game pieces. Dating back to the late 19th or early 20th century, it is in excellent condition. NEW How To Play: On a Bao board each player has two rows of 8 holes, into which counters (seeds) are placed. Moves are made by taking more than one seed and 'sowing' them along the row of holes. Both sides (top and bottom) are beautifully carved. History: Bao belongs to the family of games known as mancala or "seeding games", of very ancient origins. There are only few indications on the history of the bao, although from its geographical diffusion it can easily be deduced that it originates from Swahili Africa, or rather from the coasts of today's Kenya and Tanzania. Already in the colonial era, however, the game was also widespread in other regions. Among the mancala, bao is probably the most complex game and the one characterized by greater strategic depth. Expert bao players compete in official tournaments and the figure of the bao master (bingwa; also called fundi, "artist") enjoys great prestige. Because of its complexity and richness, bao has also been studied in the West in game theory, complexity theory, and even psychology. Game Bao Mancala Africa Central Africa African Art Handmade Hand Carved Seed Seeding Game Strategy Tribal