Congo life and folklore

by John H. Weeks

One day Bakula stopped to watch the following game that was being played by some lads. The beautiful, round, black seeds of the canna plant, which grows wild in most parts of Congo, are called loso, and that is also the name of the game. These seeds are about the size of peas.

The players are divided into two sides, which for clearness we will call A and B, and they form a circle as they sit on the ground. Side A plays first, and the thrower takes about twenty seeds in each hand. He throws them out from his hands alternately, counting, as he throws, one, two, three, and so on up to ten, and the rest he throws helter-skelter over the cleared space in front of him, yet in such a way as not to disarrange the positions of the first ten seeds thrown; but he tries to do it as indifferently as he possibly can.

Now before beginning to throw the seeds, side A has agreed among themselves that seed number five shall be the playing seed; so the seeds having been thrown, one lad on the side A withdraws out of sight and hearing. Then if side B has spotted the playing seed five, they pick it up and say: “That is the seed, and its number is five.” That counts as one game to them. If, however, they have not spotted the right seed and pick up the wrong one, then a lad on side A touches the right seed, and the one who left the circle is called back and picks up the seed that was touched by the player on his side. That then counts as one game to them--to side A. Any touching or picking up of the wrong seed by a player is counted as a game to the other side.

Supposing that side A says that seed five, which side B touched, is not the playing seed, then side B removes it, and one on side A to carry on the cheat touches, say, seed eight, then the lad who left is recalled and, of course, he finds seed five is gone, and should he try to help the cheating by picking up another seed he must declare its number, and there is every probability that he will not by chance pick up seed eight, and also declare the same number as the boy who touched it.

To find out the right seed and number the opponents have to watch the throwing for any hesitation at a particular number, or to see if a seed is purposely thrown to one side; they have to listen for any emphasis on a particular number, and also watch the eyes of their opponents to see if they are all looking towards one particular seed.

Again, the lad who leaves the circle must carry away with him a clear plan of how the seeds lay, so that he may be sure of picking up the right one, as any blunder made counts as a game to the other side.

The boys of the town had another game of which they were very fond. It was played with a hoop, and each player had a string two or three yards long and weighted at each end. Sides were arranged which had to take their stand in “towns” from twenty to twenty-five yards apart. The hoop is trundled from side A towards side B, and as it approaches side B all the players on that side throw their weighted strings (or toy bolases) at it so as to entangle it, and the boy whose “bolas” entangles the hoop picks up one end of his string and swings the hoop round and round his head as he walks with it towards side A. Should he deposit it in their town without dropping the hoop from the bolas, it counts one game to side B. If the hoop is either not entangled, or drops while being whirled, the game counts to the other side, i. e. to side A. Sometimes the winner is challenged to whirl the hoop near the ground and to jump over it while spinning without its touching the ground.

If two or more strings entangle the hoop, then the boys owning those strings must carry the hoop between them. The hoop must on no consideration be touched by the hands of those on side B, unless no string entangles it, when it is thrown back to side A and counts as one game to them. After a set of twenty games the other side trundles the hoop. A modification is made in the game by throwing the hoop in the air.

The next game that I observed, and the last that I shall describe, is called Mbele (or Knife). It is played either by the hands and arms, or feet and legs, or by moving the knees only. The players form a line, and the first lad in the line is called “King.” The “King” when he begins the game faces the lad who stood next to him, and throws out both his hands, draws them back to his breast, waves them in front of himself parallel with his breast, and after making several feints he shoots out one hand. If the lad standing in opposition to him is able to meet the “thrust” three times by throwing out the corresponding hand, the “King” has to take his place at the bottom of the line. If, however, no one in the line is able to meet the “thrust” after three tries, then the last lad in the line is called a “slave,” and stands out of the game.

The “King,” who is generally an expert player, will sometimes go up and down the line until all the players are “slaves” and he wins. Should the “King” be out in going down the line, then when all become “slaves” to another he has the privilege of winning them back, if he can, from the last one in by playing him.