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English
Kala Khao Khwai (Coconut-Shell Buffalo Horns) — a Coconut-Shell Sliver Pointed at Both Ends, Set in a Slot in a Spinning Stick and Fixed with Lac or a Nail; Spun Between the Palms So the Horns Clash
กะลาเขาควาย (kala khao khwai, also khwai kala) is a children's toy of the past for 2 players. The stick is spun so the coconut-shell horns swing and clash like buffaloes butting; whoever's shell breaks or horn tip chips loses.
This blueprint makes a real kala khao khwai following the source.
Beginner
About 1-2 hours
Instructions
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Parts
Parts
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Coconut-shell toys, before it
Coconut-shell toys, before it
The tao wing uses a half shell as the turtle's body; the kala khao khwai splits the shell into a pointed sliver set in a spinning stick.
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Read from the source
Read from the source
"The players spin the end of the stick back and forth between both palms, which swings the coconut-shell horns with the force of the hands." (Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, author not named, CC BY 4.0)
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Horns
Horns
Choose a thick, hard coconut shell and split it in half, then split a sliver with a knife, pointed at both ends like buffalo horns.
Materials for this step:
Coconut1 pieceTools needed:
Knife5
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Spinning stick
Spinning stick
Cut a slot with a chisel in the hardwood or bamboo that serves as the spinning stick.
Materials for this step:
Hardwood Block1 pieceTools needed:
Chisel Set - Wood6
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Assemble
Assemble
Fit the coconut horns into the slot. If loose, drip hot boiled lac into the hole; once it cools it holds the horns firm. Or fix them with a nail.
Materials for this step:
Nails1 piece7
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Real images
Real images
Drawings of the kala khao khwai and of play (Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, author not named, CC BY 4.0)
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How to play
How to play
Two players sit facing each other. Sometimes two circles are drawn close enough for the horns to clash, or two holes are dug so the horn ends of the sticks stay in them. Spin the end of the stick back and forth between the palms so the horns swing into the opponent's. A broken or chipped horn loses; if neither breaks, the scratches on the sticks and shells are compared.
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Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting the kala khao khwai.
Flow
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History and limits
History and limits
Today the game has vanished from the countryside. Take care with the knife and chisel, and with hot lac.
Source: Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, Traditional Objects of Everyday Use database, "กะลาเขาควาย", author not named (CC BY 4.0 licence).
**Limits** The source gives no sizes. The illustrations are drawings. There is no product line for raw lac.
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