Month: July 2011

Barnga: A Game About Inter-Cultural Awareness

Description by Andrea MacGregor

Time Requirement: 60-80 minutes

Outcomes:

• Realization that different cultures perceive things differently, and/or play by different rules.
• Students must understand and reconcile these differences if they want to function effectively in a cross-cultural group.

Introduction: In Barnga, participants experience the shock of realizing that despite many similarities, people of differing cultures perceive things differently or play by different rules. Players learn that they must understand and reconcile these differences if they want to function effectively in a cross-cultural group.

Overview: Participants play a simple card game in small groups, where conflicts begin to occur as participants move from group to group. This simulates real cross-cultural encounters, where people initially believe they share the same understanding of the basic rules. In discovering that the rules are different, players undergo a mini culture shock similar to actual experience when entering a different culture. They then must struggle to understand and reconcile these differences to play the game effectively in their “cross-cultural” groups. Difficulties are magnified by the fact that players may not speak to each other but can communicate only through gestures or pictures. Participants are not forewarned that each is playing by different rules; in struggling to understand why other players don’t seem to be playing correctly, they gain insight into the dynamics of cross-cultural encounters

Set-up: Set up (approximately) 6 tables (about 4 people per table), depending on the number of people participating. On each table there should be a copy of the rules for that table per player plus a deck of cards (use only A-10, no face cards). To start, let the’ participants play a few rounds with the rules and with talking allowed. Next, EVERYTHING is removed from the playing tables. Play continues with everyone at his own table. From now, talking is prohibited. Winners will receive one popsicle stick (see below for how to win).

After allowing a few rounds without talking at the home table, participants must switch tables—the person who won the most tricks moves clockwise to the next table, the person who loses the most tricks moves counter-clockwise to the next table. What the players do not know is that each table has learned a different set of rules (see below).

The rules: Depending on the number of players, rule sheets can be altered or discarded for the number of tables being used. Some samples of rules are as follows:

• Table 1: Ace high, no trump
• Table 2: Ace low, diamonds trump
• Table 3: Ace low, clubs trump
• Table 4: Ace high, hearts trump
• Table 5: Ace high, spades trump
• Table 6: Ace low, no trump
• In all cases, other cards will be worth face value—10 high, 2 low.

Each table shares the following rules:

• Players are dealt 5 cards each
• Whoever wins the most tricks will move clockwise to the next table
• Whoever loses the most tricks will move counter clockwise to the next table
• Everyone else stays at the same table
• Ties are resolved by paper rock scissors
• Each round will be about 5 minutes long (longer if time allows) and each round will consist any number of games that the time allows.
• After the initial round, players will not be allowed to see the rules or speak to each other. Gestures and pictures are allowed, but players are not allowed to use words.
• The game “winner” will be the person who has won the most tricks in total. (Of course, once game play starts, winning will likely take a back seat to trying to figure out what everyone else is doing, as they are playing by different rules.)
• Players can keep track of scores with popsicle sticks (one stick per trick won).
• The dealer can be anyone at the table, the person who plays first will be to the right of the dealer .
• The first player for each trick may play ANY suit. All other players must follow suit (play a card of the same suit). For each round, each player plays one card.
• If a player does not have that suit, a card of any suit must be played. The trick is won by the person with the HIGHEST card of the ORIGINAL suit (players will begin to become confused when some players believe their card is trump, and others disagree or contradict this).

Debriefing: After playing a number of rounds—either use a set time limit, or allow the number of rotations according to the number of tables in play (6 rounds for 6 tables). Students should be aware that they were playing by different rules, and the following questions should be discussed. Students can stay in the last group they were in, or return to their home groups at the teacher’s discretion.

Questions:

• If you could describe the game in one word, what would it be?
• What did you expect at the beginning of the game?
• When did you realize that something was wrong?
• How did you deal with it?
• How did not being able to speak contribute to what you were feeling?

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This is a great exercise that I use in my training with families that are adopting transracially. It’s straight from the book that I posted yesterday:

The Man and the Eagle 

Author unknown

There was once a man who had never seen an eagle. One day a magnificent eagle landed on his windowsill, and when he saw it, he exclaimed, “What an ugly creature!” The man grabbed the eagle and pulled it into his house. “First, I’m going to fix that curved beak of yours.” He used a file to remove the hook in the eagle’s beak.

“Those claws are vicious looking,” the man said as he clipped the eagle’s claws until there was little left. When he finished, the man said, “There, now you look better.” And he put the bird back on his open windowsill and shooed it away. You can imagine how long the newly trimmed eagle lasted in the wild.

Discussion

The man changed the bird drastically in this story. Without valuing the bird’s special qualities, the man altered the bird to what he thought would be better. This story can be used to discuss discrimination and the effect it has on those who are discriminated against.

Questions

Think about the eagle for a moment. How important do you think it is for the eagle to have its claws and sharp beak?

Why are the eagle’s beak and claws important to its survival?

After reading this story, why do you think the man changed the bird?

Did the man know the importance of the eagle’s claws and beak? If he knew more about eagles, do you think he would have appreciated the eagle instead of changing it?

Have you ever tried to change a person who is different from you?

Are some people cruel in this manner to people with whom they are not familiar?

Do you think it’s ethical to change people because you think their characteristics are different or somehow less superior to yours? If so, in what situation do you feel this is justified?

What happens when people place their beliefs on others?

Can all people be judged by the same standard of beauty? Why or why not?

In your opinion, what makes a person beautiful/attractive?

What role does a person’s preference play in deciding what is beautiful or attractive?

How do we treat people who don’t look like us—have different skin colors; are taller, thinner, or heavier; have braces or glasses; use a cane to walk; have wrinkles; are older, younger, deaf, or blind?

How does this story parallel the history of America?

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Diversity

Author unknown

The second-grade school teacher posed a simple enough problem to the class. “There are four blackbirds sitting in a tree. You take a slingshot and shoot one of them. How many are left?”

“Three,” answered the first 7-year-old boy with certainty. “One subtracted from four leaves three.”

“Zero,” answered the second 7-year-old boy with equal certainty. “If you shoot one bird, the others will fly away.”

Discussion

The problem, as it turns out, was not so simple after all. In some ways it gets to the very heart of what the fuss is all about regarding cultural diversity and the need to recognize, understand, value, and, finally, manage it.

Questions:

Pretend you were in the class in the story. How would you have answered the teacher’s question?

Why do you think the two 7-year-old students answered the question the way they did?

Take a moment to think about what diversity means to you. Do you think it means the same thing to other people? 

What’s the correct answer? Is there only one way to answer the question? 

How do people’s perspectives play a role in how they may answer the teacher’s question?

Why do you suppose the first child answered, “Three,” while the second child answered, “Zero”?

The author of this vignette illustrates the viewpoints of children who grew up in different environments. What is the lesson the author is trying to present?

Reflect on the story. Do you think birds can be compared to human situations? Why or why not?

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