African Fine Arts - AFRICAN-ART

Nupe Game Board - Nigeria
In West Africa the most frequent used term for the game with twelve compartments is hawele, but it varies according to ethnic groups. The players sit one on each side of the board and 48 counters are distributed equally among them. The counters may be seeds, nuts, pebbles or fruits. Each player tries to acquire his opponents counters, moving according to strict rules. The "cups" on either end of the board are intended to hold unused counters.