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Encyclopedia ID 866

Gilbert Islands string figures

Also known as String figures

Illustration pattern only. No free-licence photograph yet: can you suggest one?

Making patterns by looping string around the fingers, often with chants or stories; a regional tradition assumed here but not confirmed for this country.

Heritage note

Part of the living heritage of Kiribati.

Origins

Usually placed in the era of Deep Past and First Games (before about 3000 BCE), although its exact origins are uncertain, within the cultural world of Pacific and Oceania.

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All 2 traditions from Kiribati See them on the map