Carompang Games (Sulawesi Selatan)

1. Origin

There is a game which is well-known as carompang among Buginese and Makassarian in Sidrap districk, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. The carompang is derived from the words “careampak or tareppak.” Those words are formula of calculus that always be based on the fourth number.  In this context, someone who wants to count “something” is used to begin with the fourth number. The “something” here is tamarind`s seeds. In the game, the tamarind`s seeds will be counted four by four to the end of the competition. If there is a rest of the seed in the last counting, it will be counted as cellak or carompang. One remnant is called as cellak siddi (merah satu), two remnants are named as cellak dua (merah dua), three remnants are recognized as cellak tellu (merah tiga), and four remnants are identified as carompang (merah empat). The essence of the game is to guess the rest of the seeds (celak siddi, dua, tellu atau carompang). In other words, when someone is able to guess the rest of the seeds, he will be paid by patenrek (collector) four times of the betting.   

In the beginning, the game was only played by the adult as the gambling arena with money as the betting. Recently, however, the gamble has been banned by the government, and the carompang game then turned into child game. In the practice, the game is aiming to fulfill unoccupied times with the tamarind`s seeds as the betting.

2. Players

The carompang game here is identified as child game which is usually played by the boys ranging from 6 to14-year-old. The players consist of 5 people; 1 people as patenrek and four people of the rest as the bettors.

3. Places

The carompang game is not necessarily played in open place. It might be played anywhere such as in the terrace, guest room, and yard. In the game, the players can sit in a circle during the competition.   

4. Tools

The equipment of the game is the tamarind`s seeds. The amount number of these seeds are based on the ability of the players. The pieces of these seeds are used as the basic quantification, and the rests are taken by the winner.

5. Rules

The rules of the carompang game will be described as bellow:

• The player who becomes patenrek has to hold the tamarind`s seeds whose amount should be more than the other players; 
• The players have to decide the amount number of the betting seeds (the bet amount is decided by agreement among the players);
• Every bettor has to guess the remaining seeds before the seeds are counted (whether cellak siddi, cellak dua, cella tellu or carompang);
• In the competition, the patenrek is not allowed to count the tamarind`s seeds which are used for calculating cellak siddi to corampang;
• While seeds are counted, no one is allowed to cheat by adding the tamarind`s seeds to the game (if the patenrek cheats in the competition, the players are considered as the winners and the patenrek has to pay the betting seeds for every players; on the contrary, if there is one of the players cheats, the patenrek has right to take the betting seeds from the players);
• If the game is played fairly, and the patenrek is defeated, he has to pay two times for the player who did well in the guessing. If the player misguesses the betting, his betting seeds will go to the patenrek. 

6. Process

After deciding the place and preparing the betting seeds, the patenrek who has chosen by acclamation, will take sit with the crossed legs and be followed by the other players. They form a circle. After that, the patenrek takes the tamarind`s seeds. These seeds will be taken by one of the players (bettor), and will be returned to the patenrek. The seeds which are given to patenrek will be counted four by four, and the rest of them will be guessed as  cellak siddi, dua, tellu or carompak. The bettor just guesses the amount number of the seeds.

After the bettors guess the amount number of the seeds, the patenrek will put the tamarind`s seeds on the floor or the earth and will count them four by four. If the last count is only rested one seed, so that the player who guesses the cellak siddi becomes the winner, and the patenrek must pay two times. For the player who has guessed falsely, his betting will go to the patenrek. This way will be repeated during the competition.  In this game, someone should be accounted as the winner, if in the end of the game, he gets a great deal of the betting.

7. Cultural Values

Sportivity and conscientiousity are the values of the carompang game. The conscientious values can be seen from the efforts of the bettor in guessing the rest of the tamarind`s seeds after counting them four by four. Seemingly, in the game, the players are appeared mistakenly in guessing the rest of the seeds. Actually, they pay attention to the amount number of the tamarind`s seeds which are held by the patenrek in order to win the competition. The sportive values can be seen from the player`s attitudes who does not cheat during the competition and gives the betting seeds to the patenrek when the player falsely guesses it. (TN/trj/38/11-07)

References :

Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan. 1980. Permainan Anak-Anak Daerah Sulawesi Selatan. Ujung Pandang: Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan.

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