Diketo (game)

Diketo is one of ten games formally recognized as indigenous to South Africa, Lesotho and Botswana, and is also known by the alternative names Magave, Upuca or Puca. It is usually played by two people using small stones or marbles arranged in a shallow hole, plus one throwing stone called a mokinto. A player tosses the mokinto into the air and, before catching it again with the same hand, tries to scoop as many stones as possible out of the hole; the round then repeats with stones retrieved two, then three, and so on up through ten at a time, and a player who fails to catch the mokinto loses their turn to the opponent. The first player to complete all ten stages wins. Diketo is closely related to the game of jacks and is generally classed as a children's game that builds hand-eye coordination and dexterity.