Description
Kindred Black’s collaboration with Don't Let Disco founder Ashley Moubayed merges sculptural glass, handwrought talismans, and signature beadwork into a limited edition Mancala set — an heirloom quality game that celebrates history, connection, and the beauty of shared experience. Each glass game board is a handmade one-of-a-kind, accompanied by a collection of game pieces with their own talismanic properties and symbolic powers of protection. Sterling silver shells, aquamarine, sapphire, antique cut-glass scarabs, moonstone cabochons, citrine, pearl, amethyst, a tiny lucky pig, and other treasures transform the traditional seeds into objects of meaning and beauty. **This item is made to order and ships in approximately 2 weeks. Orders placed by 12/15 will arrive for Christmas**
How To Use
Across the centuries hundreds of regional variations of Mancala have evolved. The version most commonly played in the United States is called Kalah, derived from an ancient African variant. The goal of the game is to collect more pieces in your store than your opponent by the end of the game. Rules of play -
• The board has two rows of six small pits called “houses” and two larger end pits called “stores”, one for each player. The large store to your right is your store.
• Place 4 random pieces in each of the 12 small pits, the color and shape don’t matter for play.
• Choose a pit on your side (the six in front of you) and pick up all the stones in it.
• Sow the stones counterclockwise (to the right), dropping one into each pit you pass — including your own store, but skipping your opponent’s store.
• If your last stone lands in your store, you get another turn.
• If your last stone lands in an empty pit on your side, and the opposite pit on your opponent’s side has stones, you capture all of your opponents stones in the pit across plus the one you just placed, and put them into your store.
• Players alternate turns.
• The game ends when one player’s side of pits is completely empty.
• The other player collects any remaining stones on their side and puts them into their store.
• The player with the most stones in their store wins.
Sizing + Info
Handmade glass board is approx. 15.75" x 5" x 1.25".
Each game comes with a handmade leather pouch crafted in Queens, New York, and a guide to the symbolism of each piece.
Shipping
$10 standard shipping, free shipping on orders of $150 or more
Stone game boards resembling Mancala have been found in Ancient Egypt, dating to around 1400 BCE. Most historians, however, trace the game’s origins to Africa in present day Ethiopia and Eritrea between 500 and 700 AD. Thought to have begun as a simulation of agricultural cycles, Mancala symbolized the rhythms of planting and harvest as game pieces are gathered and sown back into the board.
Through trade routes and migration, the game spread across the Middle East, India, and Asia, and was later carried to the Caribbean and North America by enslaved Africans. In exile, Mancala became a way to preserve cultural traditions, sharpen the mind, and foster a sense of community, an important act of resistance. Often without access to game boards, enslaved people would dig shallow pits into the earth, using seeds, pebbles, or shells as playing pieces. The social interactions of a game could offer comfort amid displacement, but also served as a subtle form of storytelling about home and a way to teach children basic math.
The ancient Greeks and Romans believed that aquamarine was sacred to the god of the sea and that the protective stones were washed ashore from the treasure of mermaids. Amethyst was used to ease the soul’s passage into the afterlife in ancient Egypt. The Victorians kept red coral in the rooms of their children to ward off spirits that might replace a human infant with a fairy changeling. Throughout time and across cultures, humans have attributed symbolic meaning and protective power to the minerals, gems, and natural materials drawn from the earth.
Each board is unique and will have slightly different game pieces. Sterling silver shells, aquamarine, sapphire, antique cut-glass scarabs, moonstone cabochons, citrine, pearl, amethyst, a tiny lucky pig, and other treasures transform the traditional seeds into objects of meaning and beauty.
The KB x DLD game board is solid clear glass, handmade by glass artisans in Chicago. Each piece has slight variations and is a unique piece of craftsmanship.
Part of the history of Mancala is its adaptability. Rather than having a very fixed set of rules, the game was historically learned through demonstration and storytelling, so rules would shift slightly from one family or group to another. The beauty of the game is making it your own, something inherited and passed along that is uniquely yours.
The set includes a solid glass board, forty-eight game pieces made of precious stones and talismans, a small leather pouch handmade in Queens, and a booklet with instructions for play and the history and meaning behind each piece.
The Collaboration
The collaboration between Kindred Black and Don’t Let Disco was a natural one, born from a shared love of found objects and the magic of transforming simple materials into something luxurious and lasting. Founded in 2021 by Ashley Moubayed, Don’t Let Disco reimagines connection and nostalgia through an art historical perspective, elevating the humble bead into the realm of fine jewelry. Embracing the ethos of “don’t let this go”, they thoughtfully source unique, globally crafted beads, prioritizing upcycled, natural, and found materials, to create singular pieces imbued with history and worldly connection.