Re: MR: Fanorona

[edh@ascc01.ascc.lucent.com]

Poster: edh@ascc01.ascc.lucent.com

> >   Under the reign of Ralambo (1575-1610), Prince
> >   Andriantompokoindrindra, who was heir to the
> >   throne, became a famous player [...]
>
> > So it's _at_least_ as old as the late Period.[...]
>
> Okay, it's certainly plausible that explorers encountered this game.
> Did they ever bring any boards back to Europe?

Quoting again from the Chauvicourt book:

  According to local tradition, the game is of Malagasy
  origin.  No other people played it, at least in its
  current form of fanoron-tsivy.  Pastor Randzavola, during
  his trip to Palestine in 1928, saw a fanoron-dimy engraved
  on a rock in Jerusalem, but his guide told hime that no
  one knew how to play on this design.

  Certain rules recall those of checkers and some authors
  have concluded from this that fanorona was introduced
  into Madagascar by the Arabs, together with the calendar,
  magic, divination, writing and various customs.
  However, although the names of the days, the months,
  sikidy (divination) and astrology are certainly of Arabic
  origin, all the terms used in fanorona are Malagasy.

"Fanoron-tsivy" means "fanorona of nine lines"; it's a
9x5 board.  "Fanoron-dimy" means "fanorona of five lines";
it's a 5x5 board sometimes used by beginners; the
board that Pastor Randzavola saw probably looked exactly
like an alquerque board, and I think that's what it was.

The Baron of the Debatable Lands told me that he saw
the game being played in Somalia when he was stationed
there during World War II, and Demetria told me that
she had the impression that it's been played in Italy,
but this might be post-Period diffusions.

-- Alfredo
 
Alfredo el Bufon
Elvegast, Windmaster's Hill, Atlantia
edh@ascc01.ascc.lucent.com
______________________________________

Stemmata quid faciunt?                 |Of what value are pedigrees?
Nobilitas sola est atque unique virtus.|The one and only nobility is virtue.
          -- Decimus Iunius Iuvenalis  |      -- Juvenal

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