The Knucklebones of Childhood: Uncovering Tibet’s Popular Traditional Toy

Every person’s childhood is marked by its toys. Before the arrival of modern series like “Ultraman” in Tibet, local children had a “treasure” of their own—a toy called Abju (ཨབ་ཅུ་).

Abju refers to the tarsal ankle bones of a sheep, often called “sheep knucklebones” or “grasping sheep bones.” In the Tibetan language dictionary, its formal name is Ajue. For children living on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, these knucklebones become a micro-society, with the four main sides representing a hierarchy of animals: the Horse, Donkey, Goat, and Sheep. Due to this focus on livestock, the game is also sometimes referred to as playing with horses and mules.

The Anatomy and Quality of the Ajue

The source material for the knucklebones is highly significant, revealing the respect Tibetans hold for life and nature.

Quality and Classification

• Inferior Quality (Dead Knucklebones): Knucklebones taken from sheep that died accidentally are called “Shibchu” (ཤིབ་ཅུ), where “Shi” means death in Tibetan. These are considered inferior and are rarely used by the children in the Tibetan community.
• Superior Quality (Good Knucklebones): Knucklebones obtained from sheep that were ritually slaughtered are called “Sangjiu” (བཟང་ཅུ), where “Sang” signifies good or excellent quality in Tibetan.
• Elite Materials: The most prized materials in the “Ajue entertainment circle” are deer knucklebones and blue sheep knucklebones. These are the most sought-after due to their hard texture and rich, lustrous color.

Customization and Preparation

The game typically involves two to several people, usually three or four playing together. Players often select their most skillful and lucky knucklebones and paint them with their favorite colors, personalizing their game pieces.

The Optimal Season for Play

The game of Ajue is most frequently played in Tibetan farming and herding communities during the winter months. This is primarily due to two factors:

• Increased Leisure Time: Herders and farmers have more downtime during the winter, making it the best period for “Abjue” play.
• Slaughtering Season: Winter naturally corresponds with the traditional slaughtering season, ensuring a supply of high-quality “Sangjiu.”

The Hierarchy and Basic Rules

The square-shaped Ajue bone has a strict ranking system used to determine scoring and play dynamics.

The ranks descend in order: Horse, Donkey, Sheep, and Goat. If a knucklebones is struck and either the Garuda or the Dog’s Rear face lands upright, the player must return the bone to the playing area and retoss their striker knucklebones.

Four Major Styles of Ajue Gameplay

While there are many variations, the core methods of playing Ajue can be categorized into four main styles:

1. One Strikes Many

This style involves multiple children sitting on the grass, using four distinct ways to strike the knucklebones:

• First Rule: A higher-ranking knucklebones strikes one of a lower rank.
• Second Rule: One knucklebones strikes multiple knucklebones of different groups or types.
• Third Rule: One knucklebones strikes others of the same type or group.
• Fourth Rule: Knucklebones within the same sequence (Horse-Donkey-Sheep-Goat) cannot strike each other.

The game continues until the loser’s knucklebones are all lost. Players may withdraw mid-game, though this often earns them social disapproval.

2. Line-Drawing Style

This method emphasizes precision and boundary control:

1. Each player contributes an equal number of knucklebones, which are placed neatly on a low surface.
2. A semi-circle is drawn on the ground, roughly the width of a child’s two feet.
3. Players stand about four meters away and take turns throwing their striker knucklebones at the ones on the low surface.
4. Winning Condition: Victory is determined by the orientation (Opposing Faces, e.g., Horse vs. Donkey, Sheep vs. Goat) and whether the struck knucklebones land inside the circle. If your single striker knocks over five bones that land in the circle, are an opposing face to your striker, and are of a lower rank, you get to take them all. Any knucklebones landing outside the circle must be replaced for the next player.

3. Wall Play Style

This style tests aiming and reaction speed:

• A number of Ajue are placed on a low wall surface.
• Players throw their striker from a set distance, collecting any knucklebones they successfully knock down.
• Penalty: If a throw fails to knock down a knucklebones, the player must place one of their own knucklebones on the wall as a target.
• Bonus Turns: If the striker goes over the wall and lands with the Horse face up, the player gets a second chance to throw from the same spot. If the thrown Ajue bounces back and the player catches it (Pajiu), they earn a bonus chance to throw from three steps forward.

4. Sequence Play

This method is focused on sequential play and collision:

• Children must strike the knucklebones in the strict sequence of Horse, Donkey, Sheep, and then Goat.
• There is no distance requirement; the knucklebones are played where they land, and collision attempts are made from that spot.
• Penalty: Failure to hit the target knucklebones results in a penalty.
• Enriching Play: To add variety, hitting the concave or convex surfaces of the Sheep and Goat knucklebones can result in two special conditions: “Full” and “Hungry”

The Songs of Ajue

To enhance the atmosphere and intensity of the game, various local songs and chants have been created. These differ significantly by region, providing a glimpse into local cultural diversity:

• Lhasa Ajue Song: “Ajue is so formidable, no one can compete with me, I might as well go back, go back.” (This song is mainly used to challenge and provoke opponents).
• Gyantse/Panam County Ajue Song: “A string of Ajue, a hundred Ajue, hurry up and take them.” (This song is primarily used to encourage oneself to win the match).

In some parts of Tibet, gathering one hundred knucklebones is highly valued. These collections are then strung together like the 100 beads of a prayer mala and hung on house pillars.

The Game of Shagai from Mongolia

Shagai is a traditional Mongolian intellectual game that, like the Tibetan Ajue, uses sheep knucklebones as its primary medium. With a history spanning millennia, the game has evolved and diversified, now boasting over 200 variations of play.

These variations include:

• Picking up knucklebones (Shi Yáng Guǎi)
• Throwing knucklebones (Diū Yáng Guǎi)
• Striking knucklebones (Dǎ Yáng Guǎi)
• Intellectual locks (Zhìlì Suǒ)
• Stacking formations (like “Frogs” and “Golden Tortoises”)
• Racing knucklebones (Sài Mǎ), and shooting games (Shè Shā Gā).

The techniques used in Shagaa are equally rich and diverse, incorporating various actions such as scattering, picking up, flicking, tossing, shooting, stacking, and grasping.

Conclusion: A Living Memory

Ajue is far more than a simple game. It is a unique and distinctive form of Tibetan youth folk entertainment that has remained fully intact despite thousands of years of historical change and cultural evolution. It is a dynamic display of the historical development of Tibetan society, reflecting the social and lifestyle changes experienced by the people under the influence of various historical events.