Australia, Oceania, Pacyfic

Taulafoga (Samoa)

Taulafoga (Samoa)

  • Name of sport (game): Taulafoga
  • Place of practice (continent, state, nation):

    Samoa

  • Description:

    A popular pastime, especially among chiefs and village elders, is the ancient sport of taulafoga in which players pitch small coconut shells along a woven mat.

    taulafoga

    Played as a competition between two individuals or two teams of up to four players, each player uses up to five shells over the course of the game. The goal is to land a shell as close to the end of the mat, which measures approximately 50 feet in length with an 18-inch width.

    taulafoga1

    Like shuffleboard, other players can knock their opponents' shells off the mat while they attempt to land their coconut closer to the end of the mat. Once all players pitch their last coconut, the team with the farthest pitched shell on the mat wins the round and gains one point for each shell past their opponents' farthest coconut. Often, games include several rounds, depending on the number of points needed to win, a value agreed upon before gameplay.

    taulafoga2

Contact

E-mail: traditionalsports@traditionalsports.org

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