ABBIA GAME PIECE

Object/Artifact

-

St. Joseph Museums

Name/Title

ABBIA GAME PIECE

Entry/Object ID

414/10367

Description

NUTSHELL CARVED WITH IMAGE OF ANIMAL

Collection

ETHNOGRAPHIC/AFRICA

Made/Created

Place

Continent

Africa

Ethnography

Cultural Region

Country

Cameroon

Region

West Africa

Continent

Africa

Culture/Tribe

Kamerun
African

Lexicon

Legacy Lexicon

Object Name

NUTSHELL

Parts

Count

1

Material

NUTSHELL

Condition

Overall Condition

Good

Research Notes

Research Type

Researcher

Notes

This is a game piece for an African game of chance called Abbia. It is played amongst the Beti people in Cameroon. These pieces are carved from the hard pits of a highly poisonous tree and usually inscribed with decoration. The depictions on each stone are decided by the carver themselves and can be of animals, geometric designs, supernatural beings, etc. Sometimes the animals or beings depicted would be decapitated. The carvings had absolutely no impact on the game; they were created simply for ornamentation. Abbia was entirely a game of chance, similar to dice, and the stakes were incredibly high. There are instances of men losing their wives or gambling themselves into slavery playing the game. The carved Abbia stones plus undecorated discs from the calabash peel. All the game pieces would be placed into a basket then turned upside down, with the basket covering the discs and stones. Men would place their bets and the stones/discs revealed. The position of the objects as well as the number of carved vs uncarved surfaces facing up determines the winner.