Introduction:
Ta Kurt Om El Mahag translates to the ball of the Pilgrim’s Mother. The game is often referenced solely as Om El Mahag or The Pilgrim’s Mother. The game is explicitly played by the Berber tribes of the Jebel Nefusa. People in this area herd goats and sheep and work in fig and olive plantations. During the rainfall, wheat and barley are also cultivated in neighboring areas. A unique feature is their underground cave homes cut into the soft limestone mountainside. They range from simple caves to vast, complicated underground networks. Hundreds of soil and stone dams are used throughout the countryside to grow in semi-arid conditions.
Games were played on flat surfaces where one side was shaded. Everyone would choose two captains, then two equal-numbered teams were created by pairing up athletes and then splitting them between the two. Games were played with teams of three to twenty, but the most common number was a team of six. One team begins as the batting team and is called "marksman," and the defensive team is called the "hunters." The ball would be covered in leather but not as hard as an American baseball, and the bat was a fire-hardened olive branch three feet in length. Each batter gets two swings, and the captain gets three swings.
Interestingly, no score is kept. The objective is to stay in the shady part on offense for as long as possible. This forces the defenders to stand and play in the hot sun.
One of the primary sources of information Ta Kurt Om El Mahag comes from an article written in 1939 by Corrado Gini. He was an Italian fascist theorist who supported the abhorrent study of eugenics and racialism. It would be easy to dismiss his observations of the sport based on his incorrect beliefs on race. However, unfortunately, they serve as some of the best first-hand accounts of this ancient game. Gini's research tries to explain how blonde-haired Berber people lived in Libya for thousands of years.
Through his studies, he came across a similar game to American baseball. It was called Ta Kurt Om El Mahag, which had an origin believed to be somewhere in Europe. There were several competing theories as to the similarities of Om El Mahag to baseball. One was that the game was "borrowed" by one people from another, but this was seen as an unsatisfactory conclusion based on the limited interactions between Americans and Berbers. Another theory was that they were both spontaneously invented in their own parts of the world. There is precedence for similar sports to pop up in different parts of the world without previous contact. However, Ginni thought this was not an adequate explanation. There were too many similarities between the two to have been created independently. He ascertained that there must have been an ancient common ancestor game from which Baseball and Om El Mahag derived. He theorized that the Anglo-Saxon-looking Berbers descended from migrating Europeans thousands of years ago during the last Ice Age who brought this common ancestor game to Africa. He noted that when the teams were being created, words that had no meaning (or lost meaning) were used in the process. While the Berber people refused any religious significance, Gini believed that Om El Mahag used to be connected to ancient rituals meant to bring spring rainfall. The Berbers admitted that the game did have some superstitious connection to successful harvests.
A colleague of Ginni was a Danish man named Per Maigaard. He disagreed with the findings of Ginni and had his own beliefs about the origin of Ta Kurt Om El Mahag. He believed Om El Mahag descended from a Danish and Swedish game called Longball. His first piece of evidence was the feature of creating teams by pairing, and splitting was identical between the two games. This is too likely of a coincidence if these games were not related. Another piece of evidence is the "retaliation" portion found in both games, which is a unique (and confusing) feature. The last and maybe most convincing piece of evidence was the use of the term rotten for players who are “out.” Longball calls its players fresh or rotten, while Om El Mahag says players who are out have grown moldy and are rotten. Again, this seems like too much of a coincidence to ignore.
While Maigaard admitted that there were large migrations during the Ice Age, the last known migration to North Africa from Europe was the Vandals during the 5th century. The Vandals, led by King Genseric, invaded and established a Nordic kingdom in North Africa around 429 AD. The Vandals, who came from Scandanavia, where Longball was invented, suggest to Maigaard that it was an import from the Vandals. A modern version of Longball is played in Finland called Pesapollo. We must note that Ginni’s counterargument to Maigaard was that the Vandals did not make enough of a cultural impact to be the game's source. However, the Vandal kingdom lasted for about a hundred years in Africa before they were conquered by the Byzantine Empire. The Vandals not incorporated into the empire would have had to assimilate into the indigenous African population.
Ta Kurt Om El Mahag is a fun game with a fascinating history. The students will enjoy the initial simplicity of the game and lots of fun when the retaliation (dodgeball-like) component happens. The students will also debate where they think the game's origin came from. Both explanations are intriguing, and the conclusion is open-ended. It reminds the students that history is dynamic and full of debate.
Materials:
· A large play area (a gym works best, but can be played outside)
· Tee ball holder for the lower elementary students
· A softball (small dodgeball works well)
· Appropriately sized baseball bat or cricket bat
· Rubber disc dots or cones if playing outside
Prior Knowledge: The students should be studying Africa.
Presentation for Lower Elementary
· The modified rules for this game are purposely made to resemble the playing mechanics of our lower elementary version of Dibeke. Suppose these games are played one after the other when the students study Africa. In that case, they will already be familiar with whichever game you play second. This will speed up gameplay for the second game.
· Split the class into two equal teams. As done traditionally by the Berber people, ask the students to pair up with one person of similar size and athletic ability as they are. Then they split up to create opposing teams. Interestingly, this style of making teams was also done in a (Finnish) version of the game, suggesting they are related.
· Split the teams so they are evenly matched using previous knowledge of athletic ability based on hitting and catching skills. Speed is also an essential factor to consider.
· Introduce that they are playing a game from the North and East African regions. These countries include Morocco, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Mauritania, Niger, and Mali. The people who played the game were the Berbers. This game was played specifically in the mountainous area of Libya.
· One team will be the hitting team, and one team will be the defending team.
· The objective of the hitting team is to score as many runs as possible by running back and forth from home base and the Mahog (the other base).
· The objective of the defending team is to get the offensive team out and switch. They get the offense out by:
· Catching a ball in mid-air
· Throw and hit a player on offense with the ball. This is called stinging a player.
· The game starts when a hitter takes the bat and hits the ball off the tee.
· The hitter must hit the ball as hard as they can forward. The hit should be redone if the ball goes sideways or not very far. If the hitter misses the ball, nothing terrible happens; they just do it over again. The ball should have to travel a certain distance to be considered a good hit, which eliminates bunting and will keep the players on defense a safe since away.
· Once the ball is hit, the hitter must try and run to the Mahag without getting hit by the ball. If they do so, that is worth one point, but the batter is stranded and is done hitting for their turn. The next batter gets a turn to hit the ball.
· If the hitter can run to the Mahag and back home, that is worth two points, and the batter gets to bat again. If a runner(s) on the Mahag ran back home, they could continue to run to the Mahag and back after each at-bat until they were tagged out. This allows them to continue scoring points even though they are done batting.
· Any players on the Mahag must wait for the batter to contact the ball; no head starts. Once a player leaves their side and begins to run, they must proceed and cannot turn back.
· Any player hit out on a previous play must also run every hit. Their runs do not count, and they can still be hit with the ball for additional outs. A player who is out is no longer eligible to be the batter for that inning.
· When the ball is hit, the best play the defender can do is catch it while it is in mid-air. If this happens, none of the runs from that hit are scored, and the offense and defense automatically switch.
· If there is no catch, the defenders field the ball and throw to hit the runner(s). A player "out" returns to the baseline, and their run doesn't count.
· Throwing the ball can be risky because missing the target ensures that the runners will safely make it to the other side.
· It is up to the instructor to decide how many throw-outs it takes before the offense and defense switch. Typically, I use three outs for a switch, which works well to ensure that one team is not getting all the hitting opportunities.
Presentation for Upper Elementary
· Split the class into two equal teams. As done traditionally by the Berber people, ask the students to pair up with one person of similar size and athletic ability as they are. Then they split up to create opposing teams. Each team should choose a captain, who will be the all-time pitcher and the last batter.
· Introduce that this game is from the North and East Africa regions. These countries include Morocco, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Mauritania, Niger, and Mali. The people who played this game were the Berbers, most specifically from the mountains of Libya.
· One team will be the hitting team, and one will be the defending team.
o The objective of the hitting team is to stay the hitting team for as long as possible. This is done by hitting the ball and successfully running to the Mahog or the other base and back to the home base, if possible, without getting out.
o The objective of the defending team is to get the offense out. They can do this by:
§ Catching a ball in mid-air.
§ Fielding a ball and hitting an offensive player with the throw. This is called stinging the player.
· The offense team should be lined up behind the baseline or a line made with cones if outside. The batter and the pitcher stand together in the batter's box. If you are in the gym, use the "paint" area for basketball. If you are outside, use cones to make a rectangle to serve as the batting box.
· The pitcher stands to the side of the hitter and gives an easy underhanded pitch for the hitter. The pitcher should be close enough to make for an easy toss but far away enough not to get hit by the bat after the swing.
o Unlike baseball and cricket, pitches should be easy to hit. It was not a function of the game to strike out the batter.
· Each hitter gets two strikes, and the captain gets three. A strike is the same as a swing, whether they successfully hit the ball. The hitter traditionally does not run after the first swing unless it is an exceptional hit.
· For a ball to be a good hit, the ball must travel forward for a predetermined distance that the instructor can determine based on the playing area and the student's abilities.
o If the first hit does not cross this line, that would be the same as a missed swing. The batter would be out if the second hit did not cross this line.
· After a good hit, the batter tries to run to the Mahag and, if possible, back to home base. If the batter reaches the Mahag but cannot continue, it is the next batter in the order’s turn to hit. The player(s) on the Mahag wants to run back to home base from the Mahag safely on the next hit.
· If the batter hits the ball and can to the Mahag and back, this is a home run, and the batter gets an additional swing.
o This is simplified from the original description of the rules.
· As the game proceeds, players may “get out” by swinging and missing their second strike, or it does not cross the line. When they are out, they do not bat anymore and are called rotten and grow moldy in an area close to the batting box. Now they must run to the Mahog and back after every hit. They can still be “stung” by a fielder.
o The terminology “rotten” and “growing moldy” were also used in the Longball game from Denmark. These specific terms suggest some type of connection.
· After a hit, all previous batters (which include rotten players) must run to the Mahag or back home if at the Mahag. Sliding is allowed, and it was noted that players sliding would go sideways to avoid being hit with the ball (different than feet or head first in baseball).
· If the offensive team runs out of eligible batters, it is time to switch teams.
o The original rules state that if the captain hits a ball and gets stuck on the Mahag, they get a three-step head start to make it back home while the fielding team tries to sting them. If the captain makes it back safely, they go to the top of the order and bat again. If they get stung, it is time to switch.
§ I do not use the captain lead-off rule because I want to give multiple opportunities for both teams to bat.
· When an offensive player (team A) is stung by the ball from a throw by the defense (team B), a fascinating and chaotic new sub-game emerges reminiscent of dodgeball.
o After an offensive player (team A) is stung, all the fielders (team B) immediately try to run to the Mahog. The stung player (team A) picks up the ball and throws it at one of the fielders (team B), running to the Mahog. This is called retaliation.
§ If the offensive player (team A) hits a fielder (team B), they have saved themselves and should return to home base. They now must run after every hit, but they are not rotten. Team A remains on offense, and the next batter is up.
§ Team A takes the field if the fielders (team B) successfully make it to the Mahog without being stung. The pitcher (captain) from team B is now the hitter. The captain of team B has three strikes to get a fair hit.
· On a fair hit, the fielders from team B waiting on the Mahog run home. If they get there successfully, team B is now on offense.
· On a fair hit, if someone from team B gets stung, team A remains on offense, and team B goes back to defense.
· Team B returns to defense if the captain cannot get a fair hit in three strikes.
o In the traditional rules, team B is supposed to run to home base. However, by having them go to the Mahog, they are already in the correct position for the next phase of the game. In addition, this part of the game is the most confusing, so this minor adjustment may help simplify it.
Aims:
Direct: To play the game Om El Mahog and learn about the cultural diffusion of the sport.
Indirect:
· Listening to directions
· Communication
· Sportsmanship
· Teamwork
· Strategy
Physical skills practiced:
· Striking a ball off the tee or with an underhand pitch with a bat
· Throwing (to teammates and moving targets)
· Catching a ball
· Running (with evasive tactics)
Control Of Error: The teacher will act as the game's umpire. They could also use a stopwatch to track how long each team is on offense.
Cultural Connections:
Religion: The Berber people said the game had no religious connection. However, they admitted that there was a superstitious belief that the game would bring about good harvests. This coincides with other bat-and-ball games played as spring fertility rituals in Europe. Those games also lost their religious meaning, but their religious origin was acknowledged. When the men play this game, this is the only time you will see them remove their barracan or the traditional white toga tunic style clothing. This may be a function of not wanting to play in the hot sun wearing them, but a religious exemption may also be built into the game.
Culture of Honor and Herding: The culture of honor hypothesis suggests that peoples who rely primarily on herding tend to develop a code of honor that emphasizes violence and revenge in response to livestock theft. The theory suggests that retaliation to unfair treatment must be swift and extreme to dissuade others from stealing or taking livestock or the means of one’s survival. The "playful" retaliation within the game Ta Kurt Om El Mahag may have been a feature seen as appealing to the Berbers, primarily goat and sheep herders. Many games and sports are meant to replicate societal beliefs. The retaliation concept within the sport would perfectly illustrate the same belief held by the people playing the game.
Cultural Diffusion: The evidence points to the origins of Ta Kurt Om El Mahag coming from the European game Longball. The most compelling proof comes from the method teams use and the terminology used for a player who is out. This would suggest that the game was brought to the Berbers around 500 AD. When the game was "rediscovered" by Europeans in the 1900s, it clearly was an African Berber game. Ta Kurt Om El Mahag may have European roots, but the game is now indigenous to the Berber people.
Age: All Ages
Bibliography
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Jarnow, J. (2010. The Man Who Invented Baseball. Frank and Earthy Blog. http://www.jessejarnow.com/2010/06/the-man-who-invented-baseball/ Retrieved Nov 8th, 2022.
Moritz, M. (2008). A Critical Examination of Honor Cultures and Herding Societies in Africa. African Studies Review, 51(2), 99–117. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27667342 Retrieved Nov. 10th, 2022.
The Berbers of Libya. (2020). MIO Frontiers. https://frontiers.org.za/berbers/ Retrieved Nov. 10th, 2022.
Thorn, J. (2012). Battingball Games. Source: Comitato Italiano per lo Studio dei Problemi Della Popolazione, Rome, Italy, Vol. 5, N. 1–2, 1941, pp. 57–72. https://ourgame.mlblogs.com/battingball-games-985dff84169b Nov 9th, 2022.
Thorn, J. (2012). Rural Ritual Games in Libya (Berber Baseball and Shinny. Source: Rural Sociology, Vol. 4, №3; Columbia, Mo.: Rural Sociological Society; September 1939, pp. 283–299.https://ourgame.mlblogs.com/rural-ritual-games-in-libya-berber-baseball-and-shinny-d17cf72c8ed9 Retrieved November 7th, 2022.
Vandal Kingdom. (2022). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vandal_Kingdom. Retrieved November 10th, 2022.