dbo:abstract
- Morabaraba is a traditional two-player strategy board game played in South Africa and Botswana with a slightly different variation played in Lesotho. The game is known by many names in many languages, including mlabalaba, mmela (in Setswana), muravava, and umlabalaba. The game is similar to twelve men's morris, a variation on the Roman board game nine men's morris. While some believe that morabaraba was introduced to Southern Africa by British settlers, morris variants exist in many parts of the world, e.g., India (char bhar), Ghana (achi), Kenya (shisimia), Somalia (shax), Zimbabwe (tsoro yemutwelve),Iran(dooz), the Philippines (tapatan) and Mongolia (gurgaldaj). It is claimed that morabaraba boards carved in rock are dated to be at least 800 years old, which would exclude a European origin. However, many rock art images do not actually show morabaraba, but the mancala-type game of moruba (using rows of cupules). Morabaraba is today most popular amongst rural African youth in Southern Africa. In the traditional European games like nine men's morris, the counters are commonly referred to as "men", but in the South African game the counters are referred to as "cows", the game being particularly popular amongst youth who herd cattle. According to the OxfordDictionaries.com, the term morabaraba is derived from the Southern Sotho moraba-raba, meaning 'to mill' or 'to go round in a circle'. (en)
- 十二子直棋，是直棋的一大類，棋盤為三同心的正方形，直斜線交叉，每方棋子數為十二，吃子方式是像方棋採用成型吃子，規則、棋名隨各地略有不同，有些吃法增加挑吃、夾吃、跳吃、頂吃等。在古代也可名為牽道、圍直、八道行城，最後名者在日本有類似名，但棋盤與玩法皆不同的八道行成。 (zh)
rdfs:comment
- 十二子直棋，是直棋的一大類，棋盤為三同心的正方形，直斜線交叉，每方棋子數為十二，吃子方式是像方棋採用成型吃子，規則、棋名隨各地略有不同，有些吃法增加挑吃、夾吃、跳吃、頂吃等。在古代也可名為牽道、圍直、八道行城，最後名者在日本有類似名，但棋盤與玩法皆不同的八道行成。 (zh)
- Morabaraba is a traditional two-player strategy board game played in South Africa and Botswana with a slightly different variation played in Lesotho. The game is known by many names in many languages, including mlabalaba, mmela (in Setswana), muravava, and umlabalaba. The game is similar to twelve men's morris, a variation on the Roman board game nine men's morris. According to the OxfordDictionaries.com, the term morabaraba is derived from the Southern Sotho moraba-raba, meaning 'to mill' or 'to go round in a circle'. (en)