Shagai

Shagai is the Mongolian name for the astragalus, the ankle bone, of a sheep or goat, and for the family of traditional games played with these bones. The same bones go by other names across Central Asia, including chükö in Kyrgyz and asyk or ashyk among Kazakh and Turkic speakers. They may be painted in bright colours and are used both as playing pieces and for fortune-telling. They are thought to be among the earliest forms of dice, and a tossed piece generally lands on one of four sides called horse, camel, sheep or goat. The games include tossing the pieces like dice, flicking them along a wooden board toward a target piece, and catching them on the back of the hand. Shagai play is especially popular during the Mongolian summer holiday of Naadam, where public tournaments are held.