Traditional Games for Adults of Indonesian People

Congklak (cowrie shell) traces back to ancient Egypt as among the world’s oldest known games. Likely introduced to Indonesia centuries back by Indian or Arab traders, this game is as popular today as it was in the past. Congklak consists of a long (roughly 18 inches) carved wooden board with seven cup-like indentations on each side and one at each end. Initially, 98 cowrie shells, stones, or beads sit evenly divided in the recessions. The object of this game is to move as many pieces into one’s “home” cup—the indented space at the end of the board to the left. Congklak looks simple but requires skill, strategy, and much practice. Wooden boards may be crudely carved or elegantly crafted.

Board games like chess and checkers, likely introduced from India, engage many Indonesians. Europeans chronicled these games in Java and Sumatra in the early sixteenth century. Bataks of northern Sumatra consistently exhibit the greatest prowess at chess in recent times. Chess imaginably appealed to aristocrats early on by the character of its pieces (kings, queens, pawns, etc.) and by the strategic battlefield basis of the competition.

Probably introduced by the Chinese and later popularized by Europeans, card games break out everywhere. Indonesians play many versions, including poker, canasta, euchre, card renditions of Chinese mah jong, and local inventions. As do cockfights, high betting offers exalted gain or crippling loss, adding a perilous thrill for players. Islam and Christianity forbid gambling, which seems to increase its enticement.

Dice may have come from India to Southeast Asia in ancient times. People of the Malukus used dice by the mid-sixteenth century. A Javanese version of the epic Mahabharata features the loss of the heroic, warring Pandawa kingdom through a king gambling with the enemy using dice. As with cards, Indonesians bet on dice games, which are especially popular at markets. Divination and fortune telling are not only ritual practices, but also leisure pursuits among friends. Indonesians seek answers to problems or auspicious personal information through reading cards, throwing dice, drawing and interpreting pictures, analyzing dreams, and mimicking shamanistic techniques. Sharing future predictions intrigues many and those who show skill enjoy popularity.

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