Stone Mancala Table

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Kate Graves, American, born 1970
George Scherer, American, born 1949
David Robinson, American, born 1953

Stone Mancala Table, 2006

Concrete, Indiana limestone, White cedar
Princeton University
PP641
Special Feature (PP641)

Video of the artist discussing the history of the Stone Table installation as a collaborative effort with scientists and engineers at Princeton University. http://www.kategraves.net/mancala.htm

Read More Rules of the Game (PP641)

This game is at least three thousand years old and is known by many names: mancala, ohoro, oware and ayo . There are many variations on the rules. Each player has six “play pits” and, to his or her right, one large “home pit.”

The game begins with each player distributing four stones into each of his or her play pits. Then, each player picks up all of the stones in one of his or her play pits. Moving counterclockwise around the board, players distribute stones into their own playing pits, their own home pits, and their opponent’s playing pits (but not their opponent's home pit).

If the last stone played lands in a player’s home pit, the player gets another turn.

If the last stone lands in one of a player’s empty playing pits, the player captures that piece and any stones in his or her opponent's adjacent playing pit. He or she moves the captured stones into his or her home pit.

The game ends when one player has no stones in his or her playing pits. The other player places all remaining stones in his or her home pit. The winner is the player with the most stones.