Figure 1.--Here we see the Lanka game piece made of sheep's wool. Click on the image to see the other side.

Fall is the season for ‘Lanka’. This popular boy’s game which started about the third week in October. Playing tapers off sometime in late November or when the boys tire of playing the game. ‘Lanka’ is an old game played by the boys of Tajikistan. Their fathers played it as did their grandfathers before them. It is a game of skill. It is an inexpensive game requiring nothing more than sheep’s wool, a tiny piece of material and a small piece of metal.

Origins

‘Lanka’ is an old game played by the boys of Tajikistan. The origins of Lanka are unknown, but surely go back centuries to the time when Tajiks weee mostly nomadic people hearding sheep and other animals. The modern boys' fathers played it as did their grandfathers before them. It is an inexpensive game requiring nothing more than sheep’s wool, a tiny piece of material and a small piece of metal

Season

Fall is the season for ‘Lanka’. This popular boy’s game which started about the third week in October. Playing tapers off sometime in late November or when the boys tire of playing the game. The boys tell me they play it all year but it seems especially popular in October-November. I think the season is now becauase sheep are sheared in October-November. The wool looks like its pieces of sheared wool that are sweepings and somebody had the bright idea of making them into 'lanka' game pieces.

Gender

We mostly notice boys playing Lanka. The girls so not seem very interested.

Game Piece

Lanka is an inexpensive game requiring a simple game piece. This is nothing more than sheep’s wool, a tiny piece of material and a small piece of metal. The playing piece is made by sewing wool onto the a small piece of material and a lead weight is fixed to the material also. It looks like a fluffy feathery object when it is fixed together.

The Game

‘Lanka’ is a game of skill. It is an individual game. The wool is thrown into the air and then kicked back up again as gravity tries to bring it to the ground. The Lanka is kicked on the side of the foot. When a boy is playing the game he looks as if he is doing an Irish Folk dance. Often at anyone time out of a group of boys 4 will be playing Lanka and the others will be spectators. Who is a spectator changes because the game is fast paced and energetic. Once a boy drops out to rest another boy will take his place and he will rest. The kicking can be on the same foot or the Lanka can be kicked from foot to foot. This takes more skill and only those boys who have exceptional coordination can achieve such skilful play. These are the boys who are admired by the other Lanka players. I have seen boys trying to work in pairs to play but this do not seem to work too well because the second player cannot get in position quick enough to take over control of the falling Langa from his opponent. This more aggressive playing is done by older boys who Lanka playing soon develops into a general kicking game. The competitive aspect of the game is to kick the Lanka into the air the most before the competitor looses control of it. The most I have seen a Langa kicked continuously is about repeated 9 repeated kicks. If you have a lot of luck it is possible to reach 10 kicks.

Clothing

No special clothing is necessary to play Lanka. When boys play it at school they are in their school uniform. Played on the way home along the pavement they are still in their school clothes. Once home and the boys have changed into casual wear they still play the game for hours and hours.

Grounds

A large area is needed as the boys space themselves out to play. It is a quick action game requiring good judgment as well as eye and foot coordination to keep the Lanka in the air.

Photography

Lanka is a fast passed game which has proved very hard to photograph using a still camera. The Lanka is an unpredictable beastie and its hard to judge were it will travel once it is kicked. It is a popular game of skill which boys certainly enjoy playing. It is a game girls are disinterested in and they do not pursue this activity with the same enthusiasm as the boys.

Footbag

This game is similar to a game we have noted in New Zealand and other countries called foot bag. It is played with a small bean bag. In New Zealand it is called Hacky Sack. only the game piece is different than Langa. We are unsure about the relationship between these games. Could the modern game of Footbag originated in Central Asia?

William Fergusson

Created: 6:56 PM 11/7/2004
Last updated: 9:11 PM 11/8/2004