Art Council of Mongolia, Culture Naadam Project

Mongolian traditional games in Shagai or anklebone of sheep. There are four positions of anklebone each of which has its own name: horse, sheep, goat and camel. Mongols have about 100 variations of anklebone games. For example, there are “Horse race”, “Catching anklebones”, “Anklebone guessing” “Flicking anklebones”, “Multicolored turtle”, “Anklebone shooting” and etc. Mostly children play these games, but sometimes adults are also involved in them. Among games in Shagai most popular is anklebone shooting.

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Kazakh traditional Assyk games are an ancient tradition in Kazakhstan. Each player has their own set of ‘Assyks’, traditionally made out of the talus bone of a sheep, and a ‘Saka’ dyed in bright colours. Players use their Assyk to knock out other Assyks from the field, and the focus is on the position of the bone. Main positions are the following (high ranking first): alshi (camel); tai (horse); Buk (goat) and shik (sheep). \nAssyk refers to the astragalus of the ankle of a sheep or goat. The bones are collected and used for traditional games and fortune-telling throughout Central Asia, and games involving the ankle bones may also be referred to by the name of the bones. Common size assyks may be painted bright colours. Main assyk – saka usually is bigger. Such bones have been used throughout history, and are thought to be the first forms of dice. In English language source sassyk may be referred to as "ankle bones", and playing with assyk is sometimes called ankle bone shooting.\n

Kazakh traditional Assyk games are an ancient tradition in Kazakhstan. Each player has their own set of ‘Assyks’, traditionally made out of the talus bone of a sheep, and a ‘Main assyk – 'saka' - usually is bigger and dyed in bright colours. \nPlayers use their Assyk to knock out other Assyks from the field, and the focus is on the position of the bone. Main positions are the following (high ranking first): alshi (camel); tai (horse); Buk (goat) and shik (sheep). \nAssyk refers to the astragalus of the ankle of a sheep or goat. The bones are collected and used for traditional games and fortune-telling throughout Central Asia, and games involving the ankle bones may also be referred to by the name of the bones. Common size assyks may be painted bright colours. Such bones have been used throughout history, and are thought to be the first forms of dice. In English language source sassyk may be referred to as "ankle bones", and playing with assyk is sometimes called ankle bone shooting.\n

Children play assyk aty at aul (nomad settlement).\nKazakh traditional Assyk games are an ancient tradition in Kazakhstan. Each player has their own set of ‘Assyks’, traditionally made out of the talus bone of a sheep, and a ‘Saka’ dyed in bright colours. Players use their Assyk to knock out other Assyks from the field, and the focus is on the position of the bone.

Children play assyk aty at aul (nomad settlement).\nKazakh traditional Assyk games are an ancient tradition in Kazakhstan. Each player has their own set of ‘Assyks’, traditionally made out of the talus bone of a sheep, and a ‘Saka’ dyed in bright colours. Players use their Assyk to knock out other Assyks from the field, and the focus is on the position of the bone. \nKazakh traditional Assyk games are an ancient tradition in Kazakhstan. Each player has their own set of ‘Assyks’, traditionally made out of the talus bone of a sheep, and a ‘Saka’ dyed in bright colours. Players use their Assyk to knock out other Assyks from the field, and the focus is on the position of the bone.