Nav Kakri (Nine Stones) has a history than spans continents and time. In Europe the game was originally known as Merles, and more lately as Muhle or Nine Men's Morris and has been played in many forms for over 3000 years.
In India, this is a game of the nomads who could set it up anywhere by drawing lines in the dust. Each player would find nine stones, seeds or berries hence the name.
Nav Kakri is a game of skill, not luck, utilising and honing the skills on which herding people depend for survival.
This rather gorgeous game has been upgraded in the skillful hands of a Rabari woman, whose embroidery skills are usually used to adorn clothing and wedding dowries. Bead work, another Rabari skill, is used for the 'stones' and as decoration on the outside of the carry bag.
The board and the carry bag are made from mashru fabric - a complicated form of hand weaving silk and cotton together, so that one side is silk and the other side is cotton. This fabric has a whole history of its own.
The markings on the board are all hand embroidered with the corners marked with tiny mirrors. It measures about 41 x 41 cm and comes in a neat carry bag and with a full set of instructions.
Only one in stock.
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