Seed
From Wikimanqala
The counters employed in mancala games are usually called seeds. These can be true seeds from plants, but also cowries, pebbles or dung balls, while in many modern games glass stones or plastic pieces are used.
The symbolic meaning depends on the societal background of the game. In agricultural societies the counters usually stand for the seeds used to till a field. A number of seeds which is captured, e.g. two or three in oware or two, four and six in the Bohnenspiel, is a ripe fruit that is harvested. In societies which are based on fishing the seeds can mean fish. In pastoral societies the counters are considered to be cattle. In general, the symbolic meaning is often associated with fertility.
Sometimes the counters of modern mancala games also have a special meaning. In banan-cala they are fruits, in Space Walk space ships, in glass bead game precious gems.
No Seed is a political thriller directed by Howard and Mitzi Allen of Antigua in 2002 which tells a story of power, superstition and deception. The film is craftily woven to parallel a warri game. Its name is an allusion to the well-known Antiguan warri proverb: "When you play warri with God, you get no seed".
Typical counters
| Seeds (Latin name of the species) | Games & Country |
|---|---|
| Olinda creeper (Abrus precatorius) called kundumani in Tamil | Daramutu (Sri Lanka), Kotu-baendum (Sri Lanka); Walak-pussa (Sri Lanka); Puhulmutu (Sri Lanka) |
| Arnotto tree (Bixa orellana) | Cenne (India) |
| Gray nickernut (Caesalpinia bonduc) | Um dyar (Mauretania); Waurie (Grand Cayman); Bao (Tanzania); En gehé (Tanzania); Kauri (Germany); Kiothi (Kenya); Oware (Western Africa); Tchouba (Mozambique) |
| Msolo (Caesalpinia cristata) | Bao (Tanzania) |
| Brown nickernut (Caesalpinia major) | Warri (Antigua & Barbuda); Wauri (Grand Cayman) |
| Mubuthi (Caesalpinia volkensii) | Giuthi (Kenya) |
| Menga (Canarium schweinfurtii) | Kisolo (Congo) |
| Jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis) | Um dyar (Mauretania) |
| Indian canna (Canna indica) | Songo ewondo (Cameroon) |
| Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) | Songo ewondo (Cameroon) |
| Kaffir coral tree (Erythrina caffra) | Cenne (India) |
| Bean (Fabaceae ssp.) | Bohnenspiel (Germany, Tsaristic Russia); Cups (USA - modern); Oware (Senegal) |
| Luiki (Mesoneurum welwitschianum) | Omweso (Uganda) |
| Wild banana (Musa acuminata ssp.); seeds are called empiki | Omweso (Uganda) |
| Ngola tree (Pictantus makombo) | Embeli (Congo); Imbelece (Congo); Kisolo (Congo) |
| Marula tree (Scelocarya birrea) | Hus (Namibia); Tchouba (Mozambique) |
| Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) | Ali guli mane (Malaysia); Kuzhi palaka (India); Pallanguzhi attam (India) |
| Animal (Latin name of the species) | Games & Country |
|---|---|
| Goat (Capra aegagrus hircus) | Hus (Namibia); Unee tugaluulax (Mongolia) |
| Domestic sheep (Ovies aries) | Hus (Namibia); Tap-urdy (Turkmenistan); Toğız qumalaq (Kazakhstan, old times); Um dyar (Mauretania); Unee tugaluulax (Mongolia) |
| Dromedary (Camelus dromedarius) | Layli goobalay (Somalia) |
| Natural Materials | Games & Country |
|---|---|
| "Black pearls" (?) | Songo ewondo (Cameroon) |
| Cowries (Cypraea ssp.) | Bao (Tanzania); Cenne (India); Congkak (Malaysia); Kauri (Germany); Pallankuzhi (India); Sungka (Philippines); Ali guli mane (India) |
| Inorganic & artificial materials | Games & Country |
|---|---|
| Pebbles | Adji-boto (Suriname); Aw-li on-nam ot-tjin (Malaysia); Bao la kimasai (Tanzania); Bulto (Ethiopia); En gehé (Tanzania); Giuthi (Kenya); Hawalis (Oman); Hus (Namibia); Katro (Madagascar); Kiela (Angola); Layli goobalay (Somalia); Tsoro (Zimbabwe); Um dyar (Mauretania); Vai lung thlan (India) |
| Glass beads | Glass bead game (Netherlands - modern); Oware (industrial) |
| Glass stones | Kalah (USA - modern); Warra (USA) |
| Sanded ceramic fragments | Warra (USA) |
| Wooden pieces | Banan-cala (USA - modern) |
| Cards (paper) | Rondell (Germany - modern) |
| Golden counters | Oware (Ghana - Ashanti kings) |
| Coins | Coin duel (USA - modern) |
| Plastic beads | Toğız qumalaq (Kazakhstan - today); Oware (industrial) |
| Plastic pieces | Space Walk (Germany - modern) |
Images
 Beans from Senegal |
 Grey nickernuts from Western Africa |
 Brown nickernuts from Antigua |
 Mubuthi seeds from Kenya |
 Seeds from Cameroon |
 Cowries from Indonesia |
 Glass beads from Europe |
 Empiki from Uganda |
 Kundumani seeds from Tamil Nadu |
 Tamarind seeds from Tamil Nadu |
