Endodoi is a traditional
mancala game played by the
Maasai people
The Maasai (; sw, Wamasai) are a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting northern, central and southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are among the best-known local populations internationally due to their residence near the many game parks of t ...
of
Kenya
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and
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
. It is very close to the
Ayoayo {{Short description, Traditional mancala played by the Yoruba people in Nigeria
Ayoayo (Yoruba: ''Ayò Ọlọ́pọ́n'') is a traditional mancala played by the Yoruba people in Nigeria. It is very close to the Oware game that spread to the Ameri ...
game of the
Yoruba
The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...
people of
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
, although there is no evidence of a direct relationship between the two. Maasai are known to play Endodoi very quickly, to the point that an external observer may find it hard to even distinguish individual moves and turns.
Rules
Endodoi is played on a board with two rows of holes, but the number of holes per row may vary. A common number is 12. The number of seeds used in the game is also variable; usually, the initial game setup is somewhere from 3 to 6 seeds per hole.
At his or her turn, the player takes all seeds from one of his holes and
relay sows them counterclockwise. When the last seed is sown in an empty hole, and if this hole belongs to the player in turn, he or she will capture this seed as well as any seed in the opposing hole.
When one of the players cannot move anymore, the game is over. The opponent captures all the seeds that are left on the board and the winner is the player who captured most seeds.
See Also
Enkeshui
References
EndodoiAyoayo and Endodoi rules
Traditional mancala games
Maasai