Out of luck: Top is a modern 'katam-katam' board. Bottom is a photograph of a shopkeeper with either a customer or his worker taken in 1968, a time when gambling in public was commonplace. Pictures: Rozan Yunos
Sunday, July 6, 2008
IN THE 1950s, Bruneians woke up to a new game of chance.
This new game was different as it required a certain amount of skill and knowledge. It appealed to the Malays' sense of puzzle solving — solving a teka-teki or word puzzle. But it still involved gambling and it went by the name of Hua Hui.
Not many young Bruneians remember the name but those who grew up around the capital city of then Brunei Town would remember it very well.
Hua Hui was an easy game. For each draw which lasted around a week or more, a short word puzzle (known as the Ar-Chai) would be announced. The puzzle would read something like "this (animal) goes out at night, and can be seen in the morning". A punter would then place a bet on one of the 36 animals given. If he chose correctly, he could win as much as thirty times what he had put up.
People were attracted to Hua Hui. Somehow the thinking was, this was not pure gambling. You have to think about it and therefore this game required skills and not chance alone to determine whether you would win or not.
Punters would agonise over the answer. Some would go in search of a "seer" who would burn papers and the remaining charred paper would be studied. What shape does it have? Does it resemble one of the 36 animals?
Those who dreamt about animals were in demand. Dreamers have been known to sell their dreams to the highest bidders.
When the time is up, the animal would be revealed and everybody who put up the right bid would be in search of their runners to get the winnings.
Hua Hui was particularly popular in Brunei in the 1950s and 1960s. Even during "festive seasons" or Hari Besar as the Bruneians used to call them such as His Majesty's birthday celebrations, Hua Hui would make an appearance. The 36 animals would be displayed on a banner and by the end of the day, the right answer would be unfurled.
Throughout the day, punters would continue to put up their bets on which animals would be right, thinking that they have solved the puzzle.
However, Hua Hui was less a game of skill and more a game of chance. There were 36 choices and the maximum winning was only a multiple of 30. Even if one was to put a $1 on all 36 choices, one would only get back maximum $30. At the same time, the Ar-Chai is so vague that the description can match more than one animal and sometimes match many animals. It was highly possible that the organisers would choose the "right" answer based on the winnings that they have to pay out.
However, in those more "liberal" days, games of chance abound. Today these games are illegal. If anyone is caught playing, they can be prosecuted under the "Common Gaming Houses Act" (Chapter 28 of the Brunei Laws). Many punters have been prosecuted.
Another game is the katam-katam or "crabs". Katam-katam is still known to be played today though hidden from the public eyes. But in the past, one can play katam-katam in the open, especially on the festive days when one can play katam-katam under a tree. The dealer would come and approach punters to join him and a crowd will watch.
Katam-katam board game is so easy to play and does not require expensive hardware.
You just need a plain square table to put it on. On the board are six pictures: a red fish, a red chicken, a green prawn, a green crab, a big jar that look like a pumpkin and a moon represented by a round Chinese coin look-alike. Next are of course the dices. You need three dices. If the three dices thrown during the game showed a certain configuration, it can indicate a special winning.
But just like any other game of chance, this game is no longer allowed. If those who played were discovered, they could be slapped with very heavy fines and imprisonment.
Other past gambling gameincludes the dart throwing competition. Punters would put up their bets on the appropriate numbers hoping that the dart would land on that number. The dealer would then throw a dart at a revolving board. If the dart hit the matching number, the punter who bet on the number would get a prize.
Another similar game is the throw-a-small-hoop-around-a-can which holds or placed on top of it, various prizes such as a watch. Even though there is a certain amount of dexterity skills required to throw the hoop accurately, the stall owners normally would try to make sure that getting the hoops in is not an easy task.
Another variation would be to throw balls at cans. If all the cans fall down, one would get a prize.
Even during weddings in Brunei in the past, card games were very popular. Many a wedding guest has been known to come out of a wedding cleaned out of his hard earned cash by other punters. The popular ones are the Pakau or better known as the "Black Jack" and Bandar or the "three card game".
This practice of having card games during weddings was surprisingly not country wide. This mostly occurred in the Brunei-Muara district. Guests from the other districts have been known to be wide-eyed when they saw the card games played at weddings.
It is very astonishing how gaming catch on very quickly in those days. Unexpectedly, schools could be to blame.
In school tuck shops, there was always a small board with small pieces of folded paper attached on it. A pupil would pay five cents for a piece of the paper. When unfolded, a picture or name of various prizes or no prizes at all would be revealed.
One would be happy to win a 50 cent coin which is not a bad investment for five cents. In those days too, a pupil would carry at most a five or 10 cent coin. This would be tied to the end of a handkerchief so that the small coin would not be lost.
Another game sold by the tuck shop owners comes in the form of small cigarette-sized boxes. When the box is shaken, it feels as if there is a coin in it. The boxes normally contain small plastic toys such as tops and probably only one or two would actually contain the coins.
Gambling whether small or big is haram, that is prohibited. Gambling is considered a crime in Islam, and any financial gain obtained from it is also haram and cannot be used. This is especially so in terms of purchasing food or drinks for one's family. Items that are purchased using haram money or gains are also considered haram, and those who consume it will be punished in the hereafter. This was highlighted during a Friday sermon sometime last year.
Fortunately, the Hua Hui and the other variations are no longer with us. Most of us have realized that these games are haram, but these games remain a curiosity of our history.
The writer runs a website on Brunei at bruneiresources.com.
The Brunei Times
This new game was different as it required a certain amount of skill and knowledge. It appealed to the Malays' sense of puzzle solving — solving a teka-teki or word puzzle. But it still involved gambling and it went by the name of Hua Hui.
Not many young Bruneians remember the name but those who grew up around the capital city of then Brunei Town would remember it very well.
Hua Hui was an easy game. For each draw which lasted around a week or more, a short word puzzle (known as the Ar-Chai) would be announced. The puzzle would read something like "this (animal) goes out at night, and can be seen in the morning". A punter would then place a bet on one of the 36 animals given. If he chose correctly, he could win as much as thirty times what he had put up.
People were attracted to Hua Hui. Somehow the thinking was, this was not pure gambling. You have to think about it and therefore this game required skills and not chance alone to determine whether you would win or not.
Punters would agonise over the answer. Some would go in search of a "seer" who would burn papers and the remaining charred paper would be studied. What shape does it have? Does it resemble one of the 36 animals?
Those who dreamt about animals were in demand. Dreamers have been known to sell their dreams to the highest bidders.
When the time is up, the animal would be revealed and everybody who put up the right bid would be in search of their runners to get the winnings.
Hua Hui was particularly popular in Brunei in the 1950s and 1960s. Even during "festive seasons" or Hari Besar as the Bruneians used to call them such as His Majesty's birthday celebrations, Hua Hui would make an appearance. The 36 animals would be displayed on a banner and by the end of the day, the right answer would be unfurled.
Throughout the day, punters would continue to put up their bets on which animals would be right, thinking that they have solved the puzzle.
However, Hua Hui was less a game of skill and more a game of chance. There were 36 choices and the maximum winning was only a multiple of 30. Even if one was to put a $1 on all 36 choices, one would only get back maximum $30. At the same time, the Ar-Chai is so vague that the description can match more than one animal and sometimes match many animals. It was highly possible that the organisers would choose the "right" answer based on the winnings that they have to pay out.
However, in those more "liberal" days, games of chance abound. Today these games are illegal. If anyone is caught playing, they can be prosecuted under the "Common Gaming Houses Act" (Chapter 28 of the Brunei Laws). Many punters have been prosecuted.
Another game is the katam-katam or "crabs". Katam-katam is still known to be played today though hidden from the public eyes. But in the past, one can play katam-katam in the open, especially on the festive days when one can play katam-katam under a tree. The dealer would come and approach punters to join him and a crowd will watch.
Katam-katam board game is so easy to play and does not require expensive hardware.
You just need a plain square table to put it on. On the board are six pictures: a red fish, a red chicken, a green prawn, a green crab, a big jar that look like a pumpkin and a moon represented by a round Chinese coin look-alike. Next are of course the dices. You need three dices. If the three dices thrown during the game showed a certain configuration, it can indicate a special winning.
But just like any other game of chance, this game is no longer allowed. If those who played were discovered, they could be slapped with very heavy fines and imprisonment.
Other past gambling gameincludes the dart throwing competition. Punters would put up their bets on the appropriate numbers hoping that the dart would land on that number. The dealer would then throw a dart at a revolving board. If the dart hit the matching number, the punter who bet on the number would get a prize.
Another similar game is the throw-a-small-hoop-around-a-can which holds or placed on top of it, various prizes such as a watch. Even though there is a certain amount of dexterity skills required to throw the hoop accurately, the stall owners normally would try to make sure that getting the hoops in is not an easy task.
Another variation would be to throw balls at cans. If all the cans fall down, one would get a prize.
Even during weddings in Brunei in the past, card games were very popular. Many a wedding guest has been known to come out of a wedding cleaned out of his hard earned cash by other punters. The popular ones are the Pakau or better known as the "Black Jack" and Bandar or the "three card game".
This practice of having card games during weddings was surprisingly not country wide. This mostly occurred in the Brunei-Muara district. Guests from the other districts have been known to be wide-eyed when they saw the card games played at weddings.
It is very astonishing how gaming catch on very quickly in those days. Unexpectedly, schools could be to blame.
In school tuck shops, there was always a small board with small pieces of folded paper attached on it. A pupil would pay five cents for a piece of the paper. When unfolded, a picture or name of various prizes or no prizes at all would be revealed.
One would be happy to win a 50 cent coin which is not a bad investment for five cents. In those days too, a pupil would carry at most a five or 10 cent coin. This would be tied to the end of a handkerchief so that the small coin would not be lost.
Another game sold by the tuck shop owners comes in the form of small cigarette-sized boxes. When the box is shaken, it feels as if there is a coin in it. The boxes normally contain small plastic toys such as tops and probably only one or two would actually contain the coins.
Gambling whether small or big is haram, that is prohibited. Gambling is considered a crime in Islam, and any financial gain obtained from it is also haram and cannot be used. This is especially so in terms of purchasing food or drinks for one's family. Items that are purchased using haram money or gains are also considered haram, and those who consume it will be punished in the hereafter. This was highlighted during a Friday sermon sometime last year.
Fortunately, the Hua Hui and the other variations are no longer with us. Most of us have realized that these games are haram, but these games remain a curiosity of our history.
The writer runs a website on Brunei at bruneiresources.com.
The Brunei Times