| Description |
Toguz Korgool is a traditional Kyrgyz board game played with nine small pellets. It is an intellectual game which belongs to the family of mangala games. Back in the day, Kyrgyz people played it without a board. Players would make dents on the ground and use dry sheep droppings as pellets, hence the name. Currently, players use small pellets made out of stone, wood or other material.
The game enhances logical and analytical thinking as well as counting skills. That is why this game is often referred to as “herders’ algebra”. One game can last up to 4-5 hours. A player use basic four mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction, division and multiplication. The success in the game depends not only on math skills but also on tactics. Back in the day each pellet symbolized a warrior.
The board consist of 9 niches for each player as well as two big niches to collect appropriated pellets. There are 162 pellets. To flag the trump niche players use special signs. Two stones of different shape or color can be used as those signs. The board is divided into two parts, namely, the black (dark) and white (light) sides. Modern boards assign numbers to the niches from 1 to 9 from left to right. In a traditional version, each niche has a name (different regions have their own names for those niches):
1 — tail (kuiruk)
2 — horse wouldn't pass over it (at ötpös)
3 — bad house (jaman ui)
4 — shoulder (daly)
5 — lower back (bel)
6 — white armpit (ak koltuk)
7 — double-toothed (eki tishti)
8 — blue neck (kök moyun)
9 — mouth (ooz)
|
| Social and cultural significance |
Togyz Korgool is perceived as a part of concerned communities historical and cultural identity, as an expression of cultural continuity and knowledge transmission, and a way of improving practitioners cognitive skills.
The element represents an essential part of cultural identity connecting people with their ancestors. Transmitted from generations to generations the game has deep philosophical background and useful practical application. By bringing people together Togyz Korgool teaches children and adults such virtues and patience, observation, endurance, sense of balance, creative thinking and rich imagination. Children raised playing Togyz Korgool can provide useful service to the society applying strategic thinking, ethical behavior and wisdom in any profession. In addition to pedagogic features, the element represents a good example of social cohesion and inclusion.
The element can be played at any moment at various spaces such as houses, schools, traditional celebration areas by any player of all ages. In this way, the element provides an environment of the sharing culture and creates an opportunity for socializing among people and also supports cultural transmission through providing meeting and spending time together between generations. In this respect, the element ensures the viability and transmission of the element from generation to generations and strengthens the sense of cultural identity.
|
| Transmission method |
In Kyrgyzstan, the game has been mostly transmitted informally from older to younger generations. The prominent Toguz Korgool masters raise their apprentices. The master-apprentice lineages are referred as being similar to genealogical lineage of every Kyrgyz person who knows at least seven generations of his/her ancestors. Similarly, Toguz Korgool players know the generation of their masters. Moreover, Toguz Korgool Federation established a number of Toguz Korgool clubs in schools and universities where peer-to-peer learning is very popular when friends teach each other to play the game. Players have also developed a way of recording and documenting moves, strategies and combinations. They share the records of the game, which is relatively new way of transmitting the knowledge of the game.
Recognized as a kind of game, Togyz Korgool is often introduced as complementary courses in schools. Schools participating in local and state tournaments often offer extracurricular classes to their students for free. In addition, there are numerous amateur and professional clubs and associations found locally where children as well as adults may enroll and master their skills and knowledge.
|
| Community |
In Kyrgyzstan, bearers and practitioners are called “korgoolchu”. This term is gender and age neutral and refers to various individuals and groups of people concerned with the traditional game. There are amateur clubs in all regions of the country as well as university and school-based clubs. There is also a national Toguz Korgool Federation that unites bearers and practitioners across the country. |
| Type of UNESCO List |
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity |
| Incribed year in UNESCO List |
2020 |
