Tags
Anthropology, Cricket, Cultural Change, Cultural Diffusion, Culture, Maasai, Sports, Trobiand Islands
Just what ain’t Cricket? I really wouldn’t know the answer to that question, but I am occasionally quite amused to find out just what is cricket, or at least who has learned to play and how they play it. More than most of the big world sports, it seems that cricket lends itself to regional variation, and there are some really interesting variations out there. I’m not a very sporty guy, but I’m thinking Kilikiti Estonian style out on the lagoon for Piuraagiaqta.
Oh yes!
Kilikiti (Samoan Cricket).
This Masai team appears to play a pretty standard version of the game, but you wouldn’t know it from their uniforms.
And heading back out into the Pacific, we get Trobriand Cricket.
This is how they do it in Estonia.
northierthanthou 
What about Brockian Ultra-Cricket?
Hm, …I’m not familiar with this. Shifting off to google now. Oh man! I completely missed the reference. Oh how I do miss those books.
Thanks for the video. I loved hearing how a sport can effect the lives of those who play it. Who would have thought? The Maasai have a unique set of genes that may give them an advantage in some sports, possibly high jump. Of course, mental as well as physical skills are needed to really excel in any sport.
They are certainly taking an interesting approach to the game. It appears that the team is as much a form of political activism as it is a sports team. I hope they are successful on both counts.
Thank you for your contribution. I I live in Germany, so I should be obsessed with football. But if I am not (cry) Therefore ichgerne hear from the obsessions of others. Maybe there’s some point something for myself. (;-)))
Heh, I won’t tell anyone about your lack of love for football if you won’t tell anyone that I don’t watch the American version.
Is bought!
Amazing stuff! – and I say that as an erstwhile cricket fan (difficult to remain so in these days of Aussie capitulation). You’re a real researcher, Daniel! 🙂
Thank you. I just happened on these, actually.
I didn’t know there were variations … I thought that it was just one of those games that people just made up as they went along … always interesting to watch, because its so different from anything that we’re used to watching.
I think the biggest source of variation maybe that the specifications for the outfield are left open. SO, maybe people get used to the idea that what happens outside the infield are just open, so to speak. Either way, it does look like people in different parts of the world have very different approaches.
Kudos – really didn’t have much knowledge of cricket before watching the videos.