Chíou

Chíou [CHEE-oo], from the Mayápo tsee'oo, is a ball game played with a leather bladder traditionally stuffed with feathers.

The game is believed to have been invented in Miyarris, though it may even predate this society. It was spread by Miyarrain diaspora and is now popular

Chiou is perhaps popular because it can be played virtually anywhere, requiring only a couple of buckets or any container as a goal, a length of string and a stick to scratch out two circles in the ground. The ball must stay inside these circles but players are free to run around the outside so long as they are not in possession. Formal matches are held in a rectangular field which limits the area of play.

Chiou is a team game, the aim being to hit the ball into a bucket-like goal possessed by each team. Players must keep the ball off the ground by passing it to each other with head, knees or feet in a series of volleys. It is illegal to handle or hold the ball during volleys between players, and a volley ends when a player attempts to score. Score attempts are made with a flat hand, attempting to hit the goal, called a “slam”.

There are myriad regional variations for official tournaments, but the game is mostly played informally with players or villages deciding their own rules depending on circumstance. Standard Ororran has nine players on each time on a court in a figure of eight, with each goal at the centre of each circle. Players can go outside the circles but the ball cannot, so that play particularly focuses on the “contact zone” where the two circles overlap. Informal games can have any number of players and use anything as a goal. In Munatanplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigMunatan

Munatan [Moo-Nah-Tahn] is the southernmost region of Anásthias, south of the Dun Trisan mountains. The name possibly derives from a ancient Thalsic, meaning “Land of One Sun”, since the daystar is not visible in the southern hemisphere. Or it may be a reference to the Manthi people who were once the majority population of western Munatan. The term is an OrorrOrorrOrorrHartheraHartheraOrorrOrorrOrorrHartheraHartheraHartheran rules are less strict about handling the ball, so volleys can include any number of “slams” or hand passes.

Any fouls result in the opposing team gaining position of the ball at their starting point, usually with the team surrounding their goal. Serious penalties involve the offending team standing around the edge of the court, allowing the possessing team an open (though not easy) shot at their goal.

Play continues either for an agreed amount of time, or until a certain number of points are scored. Sessions can be timed with an hourglass or other timing device, with teams changing ends so as to compensate for uneven ground or light conditions.