Global Crafts
Handmade Nine Men Morris Game - Sheesham Wood-India
Handmade Nine Men Morris Game - Sheesham Wood-India
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This decorative Nine Men Norris game box is hand-carved from Sheesham wood. The top lifts to store the bag of pegs. This is a fun game and also a decorative piece that looks great out on a table or shelf. The hand-crafted nature makes this a special game box that is one of a kind. Instructions included.
Product Features:
- Type: Board Games
- Colors: Stained wood
- Materials: Sheesham Wood
- Dimensions: When closed, the box measures 4.5 inches square by 1 inch tall
- Games Pieces included: pegs in a cloth bag
The Story Behind the Art:
The hand-carved games are crafted in Saharanpur in the region of Uttar Pradesh, India which is well-known for its ancient woodcarving techniques. Temples in this region bear witness to the early talent of artisans in that region. Today, the craft is still practiced using hand tools that are much the same.
Brief Game Summary:
Nine Men's Morris is a strategy board game for two players dating at least to the Roman Empire. The board consists of a grid with twenty-four intersections or “points.” Each player starts with nine pieces (one with the lighter color, and the other with the dark color). Players try to form “mills” - three of their pieces on contiguous points in a straight line, vertically or horizontally - allowing a player to remove an opponent's piece from the game. The overall objective is to reduce the number of your opponent's pieces to less than three or to render the opponent unable to play.
Due to the handmade nature, slight variations in size, color, shape, pattern, or other characteristics may be evident. Each piece is truly a unique work of art, lovingly crafted by hand.
About the Artisans
About the Artisans
Chichicastenango, Guatemala, has become one of the most important heritage centers in Guatemala during the past 10 years, due to its predominant indigenous Maya Quiche population and their traditional textile products. Yet, despite increased tourism and a renewed interest in traditional Mayan crafts, work opportunities remain few for the indigenous population, many of whom are uneducated and otherwise unemployable.
Enter De Colores Art, a local business that levels the playing field for villagers by offering free training to anyone who demonstrates the initiative to learn a trade. The company employs 30 women and 18 men to knit and embroider textile products, with the option of working at home using materials provided by the company. De Colores recognizes the culture of its Mayan employees, and as such allows flexible hours and gives time off for sowing and harvest days.
De Colores also invests in community education projects by funding two local schools in the neighboring towns of Chujupen y Pachoj, and by providing scholarships to qualifying students.
In addition to stimulating the local economy by creating new jobs, De Colores makes a conscious effort to use recycled materials whenever possible. The reason for this is twofold: to preserve Mayan culture, as recycled textiles showcase traditional knitting patterns that aren’t often seen in newer textiles, and to reduce scraps and waste.
Communities collaborate in the production process, as men work on the biggest textiles and women do the embroidery, crochet and macramé seen in smaller pieces. In some cases, in order to be competitive, sewing machines are used to assemble the finished product, although all the components are handmade and hand embroidered from cotton, wool and/or silk.
