Bos Angkunh

Bos Angkunh (បោះអង្គុញ, "throw the Angkunh") is a Khmer folk game in which two teams throw hard, flat seeds to knock down each other's target seeds. It is played in Cambodia and in Khmer communities, especially during Khmer New Year. The name is also written Angkung, Bas Angkunh, Ong Coon and Ang Kunch, and it is sometimes translated as "throwing brown nuts."

Illustration inspired by a New Year game in a temple yard.

Tradition details
Khmer name	ល្បែងបោះអង្គុញ
Also known as	Bos Angkunh Game; Throw the Angkunh
Practice type	Game
Usual occasion	Khmer New Year
Subjects	Celebrations & Life Passages

Practice

Players form two teams of two to ten people, and men and women can play on the same side. Before play, the teams agree which team throws first, whether to use three or five target seeds, the score needed to win and the penalty for the losing team.

The seeds for throwing are called Kaoy Bos, "throwing seeds," and the targets are Kaoy Dam, "planting seeds." The targets stand in a small pyramid: a central seed called Me Klong or Konlong, with one or two seeds on each side. They are set in a shallow hole along the boundary line, flat side facing the other team. Each player on the starting team receives three or five seeds to match the number of targets.

The first player of the starting team throws at the other team's targets. Each seed struck earns one point, and the player keeps the thrown seed for the next throw. When a player misses, the turn passes to the other team. The center seed must be hit last, and a team that strikes it first loses. Play goes on until one team reaches the agreed score.

The simple form of the game is the throwing stage alone. The extended form adds five more stages: Si Koul, Siparet, Trakang, Chak Ktek and Bos Chous.

Chous

Both forms end with Chous, meaning "knocking," a playful penalty in which the winners knock the losers' knees with the seeds. The losing team gathers at the edge of the field and leans its knees forward. In the gentle form, Bay Trorjeak ("cold rice"), one seed is laid flat on the knee and tapped lightly with another. In Bay Kdao ("hot rice"), the player holds two seeds in one hand with a small gap between them and strikes to make a loud click. If no click sounds, the loser may knock back, and the exchange goes on until someone makes the sound. The clicking brings much laughter among the players.

The Angkunh seed

The game takes its name from the Angkunh, a climbing plant grown in Cambodia, mostly in Stung Treng and Kratié provinces. Its large fruits hold many flat, round seeds, which turn hard, smooth and dark brown as the fruit ripens. The seeds are about 4 to 5 centimeters (1.5 to 2 inches) across, though some measure 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 centimeters). They have served as the game's pieces for hundreds of years.

Variations

Rules differ with local practice. The teams stand about 8 meters (26 feet) apart, about 5 meters (16 feet) apart, or on boundary lines 10 to 15 feet (3 to 4.5 meters) apart, and changing the distance makes the game harder or easier. Teams are often men against women, though teams are sometimes mixed. Larger groups sometimes play with seven targets, and one common layout sets seven seeds in two rows, four behind and three in front.

In one version, each team throws all its seeds in turn, and the team that hits the most targets with the fewest throws wins; draws are possible. The number of knee knocks then depends on whether three or five targets were used. In another, a player who hits the middle seed too early receives a small rap on the knee with two seeds held together. The teams also agree beforehand whether Chous will be the gentle Bay Trorjeak or the harder Bay Kdao. The penalty can also be something else agreed in advance, such as carrying the winners on their backs.

Community

People of all ages and genders play, among them families, friends, villagers and students, in villages, at schools and especially at pagodas. Professor Sambo Manara counts Bos Angkunh among the most popular traditional games, one that villagers know and learn easily.

References