Zohn Ahl is a roll-and-move board game

Board game

A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...

 played by the Kiowa

Kiowa

The Kiowa are a nation of American Indians and indigenous people of the Great Plains. They migrated from the northern plains to the southern plains in the late 17th century. In 1867, the Kiowa moved to a reservation in southwestern Oklahoma...

Indians of North America. It is often cited as a typical representative of many similar Native American games. It is often equated (or possibly confounded) with Tsoñä ("awl game"), also played by the Kiowa.

Terminology

Note that the 2 names create an interesting but coincidental sonic overlap: Zohn = "creek," a feature of the board; and Ahl = "wood," the term for the dice. Whereas Tsoñä means the "awl game," referring to the 2 awls used as playing pieces. But "ahl" and "awl" have no relation to each other, one being a Kiowa word, the other English, and signifying different objects. So while the game may be referred to as "Zohn Ahl" or "the Awl Game" or even "the Ahl Game" (meaning "the stick dice game"), "Zohn Awl" would be incorrect.

Equipment

• Board: the distinctive 40-space board (see illustration) was marked on a cotton cloth or a blanket.
• Lots: 4 stick dice (ahl). These are split sticks, flat on one side and round on the other (thus semicircular in section), ranging anywhere from about 4 to 10 inches long, and around 3/8 to 1/2 inch in diameter. 3 of these stick dice are marked on their flat sides with grooves painted red; the 4th is marked with a groove painted blue, black, or green. In the Tsoñä account, this specially marked 4th stick die is called sahe ("green"). The round sides of the 2 types are usually also distinguished, though this is not necessary for game play. Willow and elm are mentioned as materials.
• Flat stone: the "ahl stone," is placed in the center of the board, and the stick dice are vigorously bounced against it for each throw.
• Pieces: 2 awls, 1 for each player or team, mark progress around the circuit.
• Counters: 8 sticks (or any even number) used to keep score.

Play

The game is played between either 2 players or 2 equal teams. Each side begins with half the counters and its awl at its own space 1, the awls moving in opposite directions, one side clockwise, the other counterclockwise (see illustration). A player throws the 4 stick dice and moves her awl the indicated number of spaces, and if appropriate, throws again (see table). The fact that "throwing" is said to go around the circle counterclockwise (which would be meaningless in alternate turns) may indicate that, when playing in teams, all players on one side throw and move, followed by all players on the other side in their turn.

The 4 2-sided stick dice, 1 with a specially marked flat side (sahe, "green"), can fall in 8 possible configurations, yielding the indicated values:

Flat sides up	Value	Value with sahe
0	10+	NA
1	1	1+
2	2	2
3	3	3+
4	NA	6+

("+" means "and throw again". "NA" mean "not applicable"; the throw is not possible.)

When a player lands on her space 20, the near bank of the "creek," she "falls in": her side loses 1 counter and the awl is returned to the beginning space 1. (Note that an opponent's space 20 is the far side of the creek, and safe.) Likewise when a player lands on her opponent's awl, the opponent is "whipped" back to her space 1, and loses 1 counter. The "dry branch" spaces have no special effect, and function just as any other space.

When a player completes a full circuit with her awl, she wins 1 counter, and continues around in the same direction, moving the full value of her throw. If, however, her throw causes her to land on her space 40, she falls into the creek and is returned to space 1, losing 1 counter.

The game is won when one side wins all the counters.