Yaoshijang Mlaoyaba (Finger Game)
The game requires atleast 2 players to make the story telling and ending more interesting. All the fingers have to be spread wide open on a flat surface. The leader tells a story “yeng yeng gulala” and keeps counting each finger. When s/he finishes the story and touches the last finger, that finger has to be folded inside, and the story continues. The team member whose entire fingers are folded first whenever the story finishes wins. The one, whose entire fingers are folded last, loses the game.
The narrative of the story in the game as shown in the video here goes like this:
“Yeng yeng gulala, banju bathai gelaoba. Arikhidijang Narakashing shingshingba. Bailai bathai laikhonthaisha.”
The fuller version is represented with English translations:
Yeng yeng gulala, banju bathai gelaoba.
(the tingling sensation yeng yeng there you go!) The Royal Poinciana (Krishnachura) tree is so big and tall.
Arikhidijang Narashing shingshingba.
Arikhidi (mythical mother nature) and the curry leaf (narasingha) tree Murraya Koneigii are rustling and whispering softly in nature.
Bailai bathai laikhonthaisha.
The dancing like leaves of the baby pumpkins!
Yaoshariha gdingba.
Circling round the hands!
Ani ega dainsho!
Please numb my leg and let it go!
The story in the game celebrates nature and how children, while playing with their fingers, remember the tingling sensations of leaves rushing from the trees of Royal Poinciana and Murraya Koneigii, The children's fingers feel so tingled that they want to stop it by folding them. Dainsho means “cut off” and it metaphorically means here to let go of one of the fingers and end the tingling feeling.
Kanakpur, Assam, India
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