Assalamualaikum Wr. Wb.

Good morning everybody. How is everything with you? I’m great, thank
you.
Let me introduce myself first. I am Anindyanari Adhisa Nugraheni. Please
call me, Dhisa. I am from SD Negeri Jetis 1 Sukoharjo.
Today I want to tell you about my favorite Indonesian traditional game,
that is BEKELAN. Do you know bekelan? Have you ever played bekelan?
Bekel is commonly played by Indonesian girls. The shape of the bekel
differs from the western jacks in that. There are flat with a small bridge holding
two sides together. On the upper side of the biji bekel there is a small red dot
that’s called ‘pit’. The under side of the bekel is called a roh. On one of the flat
sides of the biji bekel there are small identitations or dots and the other side is
smooth.

Amongst the economically disadvantaged in society, it is often hard for

parents to make enough money to feed their family, so toys are often quite
simple or something that has been made by the parent. Fortunately,
traditional toys are not expensive ... and are fun! The toys and the games that
are described below are commonly seen and played by Indonesian children
today.

Bekel

This is the equivalent of western jacks, and is commonly played by

Indonesian girls. The shape of the bekel differs from the western jacks in that
they are flat with a small bridge holding the two sides together. On the upper
side of the biji bekel there is a small red dot that is called the pit. The under
side of the bekel is called a roh. On one of the flat sides of the biji bekel there
are small indentations or dots and the other side is smooth.

The game is played is a similar method to jacks, but with a few

differences. When the game is started, the biji bekel are all held in the hand of
the player and are dropped as the ball is allowed to bounce one time. The
player then starts to play by attempting to pick up the biji bekel one at a time
without disturbing any of the other biji bekel within the time that it takes the
ball to bounce once.

If the player successfully has picked up all of the bekel, he then drops
them again and starts the second set of the game. In this set he must attempt
to position the biji bekel with the pit facing up again one at a time. This action
must be completed while the player throws the ball in the air and allows it to
bounce one time. The player must attempt to turn over the bekel without
moving any of the other bekel.

If the player completes this successfully, he then picks up the biji bekel
one at a time while throwing the ball in the air until he has all of the biji bekel
in his hand. He then drops them all again and now picks the biji bekel up two at
a time and then three at a time, etc. until he picks up all the biji bekel with one
sweep of the hand.

He drops them again and now starts the roh set. The player must attempt
to turn over all the biji bekel so the roh side is now facing up. It is permitted to
pick up more than one group of the set number while the ball is being thrown
in the air. For example if the player is picking up groups of two while the ball is
being thrown in the air, he may grab three groups of two bekel. The action of
grabbing a set number of bekel is called cek.
 If the player moves any of the biji bekel that he is not attempting to pick
up, or if he drops any of the biji bekel in his hand, he loses his turn and it goes
to the next player. A skilled player can go through many sets of the game
before he makes a mistake and has to turn the bekel over to the next player.
The player that completes the most sets without making a mistake is
considered the winner of the game.

The name is derived from the Dutch game"bikkelen" using the same
copper "bikkels".

No matter how far technology has come, and how many ways there are
for kids to entertain themselves, you still can’t beat an old fashioned, simple
game. There’s really nothing better for kids than time spent with their friends,
playing games together and getting a bit mucky. Yet many of the most loved
playground games have declined in popularity over the generations.

The International Games series aims to highlight some of the best classic
children’s games played around the world – like Leapfrog and Kho Kho! We
hope that by teaching your child about these fascinating and entertaining
games we inspire you to try them at home with your family! Today we want to
introduce you and your children to the Indonesian game of Bekel, also known
as Jacks.

This traditional children’s game deserves to bounce back and be played all
over the world! Below you’ll find all you need to play this Southeast Asian
variant of Jacks.

What you need to play Biji Bekel / Jacks:

 Some floor space, just enough for all those playing to sit down

A rubber/bouncy ball of any size

Six small items (known traditionally as biji bekel), such as Jacks, or if you
don’t have these small stones will do

How to play Biji Bekel / Jacks:

All the biji bekel (small items) are held in one hand, along with the ball,
to start.

Throw the ball in the air. While it’s on the way back down, release all
the biji bekel on to the floor.

Let the ball bounce once. Catch it before it hits the floor for the second
time. Then bounce it again. While it’s in the air, pick up as many of the items as
possible, and catch the ball before it hits the floor. This is all with one hand!

Keep repeating until all the biji bekel have been picked up. The aim is to
get faster and neater in picking up all of the biji bekel between bounces.

To make this game a little bit trickier for older children add in a new
rule that they have to pick up all items in three turns or less, this will really
work-up a competitive spirit.

What’s so good about Bekel / Jacks?

BEKELAN

Bekel is absolutely brilliant at improving your kids’ hand and eye

coordination. It demands quick responses and sharp movements. They will
need a steady hand as they attempt to pick, turn, and grab the biji bekel one at
a time or all at once. Once they’ve got the hang of it, they will want to play
over and over again to get faster and better at it, trying tocatch all the bekel
faster than their friends. It can be played anywhere – it’s best to play it on the
floor outside so that you don’t have to worry about the ball and bekel
bouncing off the edge of a table.

Tales of tradition to share with your children

If your kids are curious about this game and how it came to be then it may
surprise them to find out that bekel is actually believed to have been invented
when the Dutch still occupied Indonesia, and that the name is derived from a
Dutch word, bikkelen, meaning knucklebones. The ancient game was played
with real sheep bones (that will make the kids squirm!). Whatever small items
you choose to play with, it’s a lovely, simple game that will keep kids’ hands
and minds occupied for hours, so it’s high time Bekel bounced back. Are there
other classic games you remember from your childhood that deserve a
rediscovery?

Bekel

This is the equivalent of western jacks, and is commonly played by

Indonesian girls. The shape of the bekel differs from the western jacks in that
they are flat with a small bridge holding the two sides together. On the upper
side of the biji bekel there is a small red dot that is called the pit. The under
side of the bekel is called a roh. On one of the flat sides of the biji bekel there
are small indentations or dots and the other side is smooth.

The game is played is a similar method to

jacks, but with a few differences. When the game is started, the biji bekel are
all held in the hand of the player and are dropped as the ball is allowed to
bounce one time. The player then starts to play by attempting to pick up the
biji bekel one at a time without disturbing any of the other biji bekel within the
time that it takes the ball to bounce once.

If the player successfully has picked up all of the bekel, he then drops
them again and starts the second set of the game. In this set he must attempt
to position the biji bekel with the pit facing up again one at a time. This action
must be completed while the player throws the ball in the air and allows it to
bounce one time. The player must attempt to turn over the bekel without
moving any of the other bekel.

If the player completes this successfully, he then picks up the biji bekel
one at a time while throwing the ball in the air until he has all of the biji bekel
in his hand. He then drops them all again and now picks the biji bekel up two at
a time and then three at a time, etc. until he picks up all the biji bekel with one
sweep of the hand.

He drops them again and now starts the roh set. The player must attempt
to turn over all the biji bekel so the roh side is now facing up. It is permitted to
pick up more than one group of the set number while the ball is being thrown
in the air. For example if the player is picking up groups of two while the ball is
being thrown in the air, he may grab three groups of two bekel. The action of
grabbing a set number of bekel is called cek.

If the player moves any of the biji bekel that he is not attempting to pick
up, or if he drops any of the biji bekel in his hand, he loses his turn and it goes
to the next player. A skilled player can go through many sets of the game
before he makes a mistake and has to turn the bekel over to the next player.
The player that completes the most sets without making a mistake is
considered the winner of the game.

The name is derived from the Dutch game"bikkelen" using the same
copper "bikkels".
 The name of this traditional game is Bekelan or Bekel. This game is from
Central Java, but #MasIfan.Com finds some literature that this game comes
from West Java and Madura. It is not too important because this traditional
game is from my beloved country-Indonesia. Bekelan plays by 2-4 girls on 7-10
years old. Bekelan is competitif game. It means that this game can be matched
with their own rule.

In West Java, there are three steps position in playing Bekelan. First, free
position of Kuwuk (bekel’s seed). Second, the kuwuk must be change position
to be sprawl up and the last, all kuwuk must be prone.

This game which seems so simple but actually it is very difficult to play.
You must have skill and ability to play bekelan. Some boys sometime
underestimate this game but if they try playing this game they will feel so
difficulty.

The History of Bekelan

The word Bekelan is from dutch Bikkelen. This game has relation with
gathengan. Gathengan only uses gravels and bekelan uses special equiptment.
It is consists of Bekel ball, and five pieces of kuwuk that made of metal. Some
of kuwuk made of brass or tin. At the first time, it made from sheep’s hinge
heel bone.

Evidently, Bekelan not only known in Indonesia, but also the Greek and
Ancient Roman knew this game. Both of them called it Bekel. They used
sheep’s phalange. And on the beginning of XIX century they used metal.

What are the Equipments to Play Bekelan?

 If you want to play Bekelan you just need a small colourfull bekel ball with
diameter 3 cm and 10 clamshells called kuwuk/kewuk. The shape of
kuwuk/kewuk is like shell. You can change kuwuk using brass like cashew
kernels which both its side are red dot marked rounds. You must play on the
flat surface like tiles, ceramics or land. It caused the ball can be bouncing
stable.

How to Play Bekelan?

This game begins to play by spreading and throwing the ball up and catch
it soon after bounching the tile once. If you can’t catch the ball or you can
catch it after few bounches so you die. You must stop your game.

First, the player hold all bekel seed. Spread all on the tile while you throw
the bekel ball up and catch. Pick the seed bekel up one by one until end.
Repeat it by spreading all the bekel seed and pick two bekel seed, then three,
four seed and the last five seed at once.

Second, change the position of the bekel seed facing up one by one.
Repeat until all the surface of bekel seed facing up. Then pick it one seed, two,
theww, four and then pick all seed up at once.

Third, reverse the position of bekel seed facing down and repeat the
second step at this steps.

Fourth, change all the position of bekel seed on the smooth surface facing
up then pick the bekel seed like on the third step.
 Fifth, reverse the position of bekel seed on rough surface facing up then
pick all the bekel seed all up.

The last called Nasgopel. Reverse the position bekel seed all facing up, the
reverse all facing down then the smooth surface facing up and the last reverse
one by one the rough surface all facing up. Pick all the seed up at once. If there
is a mistake in nasgopel step, the player must repeat on the nasgopel
beginning. The player who can pass this step is a winner and she can take a
rest while watching the other players who haven’t finished the game yet.

The Advantages of Bekelan

This game influences to the growth of the childrens’ physical, mental, and
their soul. This game is very interesting and has some advantages for them.

First, practice the children more skillful. To play this game needs a
strategy how to spread the seed so when they fall down, it will be profitable
for you. The player must be strict, be careful when they change the seed
positions. Don’t touch the other seed!

Second, the player must keep watching when they throw the ball up. It
means that the player must fast and proper in thinking.

Third, this game practices the coordination between visual and motoric
because their hand will be practiced to move fast and be careful.

Fourth, this game can increase the control ability of the fingers and
movement. One hand must arrange and keep bekel seed (kuwuk). The kuwuk
may not be down when you take the other kuwuk.