Dakon

Dakon

Dakon is a kind of interesting game to play the children. It is also a kind of traditional game for the children at Java. This game can be done by boys or girls. It is also can be done by men or women as recreation tools. Actually, Dakon is a tools to play congklak that made from wood. The length is 50 cm, the width is 20 cm and the height is 10 cm.

At Bogor, West Java there is an ephigraph. This ephigraph known as Batu Dakon. It is also called as Batu Congklak Ephigraph. Some people called this ephigraph with Kebon Kopi Ephigraph.

The upper part of this wood is made a hole with 5 cm as diameter and 3 cm in depth. There are at least 12 holes. The other tools that needed to play this game is dakon’s seed. Sapodilla seed usually uses to play dakon as dakon’s seed.To play dakon  we usually need two persons. If we don’t have wood, we can also play dakon on the ground. We make holes on the ground and the seed we usually used gravel


History
Evidently, the game dakon is not only playing in Indonesia – Java especially but also at the others region until another country. At Java, it known as dhakon,at Philipine is known with sungka, Mariane Island is know as chongka’, at Lampung is known as dentuman lamban, at Celebes is known as mokaotan, manggaleceng¸anggalacang or nogarata, at Sri Lanka is known as chonka, and at Maldiva is known as naranj. The international name of dakon is mancala. This name is from Arabic word naqala. The meaning of naqala is move. At Africa, dakon is used as Mathematic leaning tools for children. The scientists there said that this play can practice the cognitif function, memory and problem solving practice.

There are some versions stated the history of dakon

1. Reputedly, this game is played on 7000-5000 BC. It brought to Indonesia at the first time by the people from Arab that came to Indonesia to trade or preaching. 
2. Based on the archaeologist research and some scientists believed that this game is from Middle East and spread to Africa. The spreading to Asia through Arabic trade on Caribean on 1640. 
3. An archeologist named Murray did the research dakon from ancient Egyptian Umur Emperor (15 – 11 century BC)

Rules if playing dakon

1. This game is played by two persons. 
2. In this game the used the board the name congklak with 98 seed that called as congklak’s seed. Commonly the board is made from wood and plastics and the seed is made from seed, stones, marbles or plastics. 
3. At  congklak board, there are sixteen boards consist of fourteen small holes and two big holes at each sides. 
4. Seven holes at the player’s side it means that he/she  is the owner. 
5. Before playing this game, fill each holes with seven seed. 
6. One of te players begin to play at first by choosing any holes and put one by one their seed in each one hole. 
7. If the seed runs out at the holes which seed in it, so he/she can take the seeds and continue the game by filling the next holes. 
8. If the seed runs out at the own big hole so he can continue playing by free by free chosing the hole. 
9. If it is stops at the empty hole, so he must stop and change the player. 
10. The game is over if there is no more seed can be taken. The winner is the player that has more seed.

Batu Dakon Ephigraph

Moral Values
There are some moral values that can we get from playing dakon. By playing dakon, automatically  we also learn how to calculate or counting. Beside this we learn how to arrange the strategy. Saving is also a value that we can get from playing dakon.