The popular board game ‘Mancala’ is played in many parts of Africa. Either in holes in the ground, or with such game boards, carved out of wood, each having 28 holes. Two players sit opposite each other and fill ‘their’ holes with playing stones (stones, nuts, seeds, or similar). Then the fields of the opponent must be jumped over with one’s own playing stones. The player may take the opponent’s stones over which he has jumped. The one who has taken all the opponent’s stones is the winner.
1: A large ‘Mancala’ game board of the Luba-Hemba, in eastern Congo. Carved out of wood, with 28 holes and a recessed tray at the side, in which the playing stones are placed. On the back is a rectangular, shallow and hollowed foot. The finely carved head on one of the short sides clearly displays the style of the Luba-Hemba: a rounded, backward-sweeping hairstyle with a transverse strut at the back. The border on both long sides is decorated with linear, triangular chip-carving relief. Dimensions: 64 cm (with head and recessed tray) x 28 cm.
2: A smaller ‘Mancala’ game board of the Luba, in southeastern Congo. Carved out of wood, with 28 holes and a round foot at the back. With a small head on one of the short sides, in typical Luba style, with a linear plaited coiffure. Dimensions: 44 cm (with head) x 23 cm. Both game boards are old and have been used often. Both display a good, partly shiny patina. The strips of wood between the game holes are mostly worn due to long usage. Minor age damage. First half of the 20th century. (ME)

Provenance: Belgian Private Collection.