Ubo cards

The Ubo are a Manobo sub-tribe who inhabit the more isolated mountains of Southwest Cotabato on the island of Mindanao (SE Philippines). Ubo cards are made from the bark of a tree which they call “kenklem”. They are painted with a black stain from the banana stalk. Once dried, they are engraved using a “kabuhu” or knife.

The game played with these cards is called “siyum-siyum” or lucky nine. It requires two or more players. Each player is dealt three cards. The player whose cards add up to 9, 19, 29 or the sum closest to these numbers wins the game. The Ubos usually bet their property or even their wives.

In a pack, there are 6 of each of the cards in the top row and 2 of each of the others, making 24 in all. Apart from the 2s to 7s, it is not clear to me which card is the 1 and which card is the 8 (assuming that that is what they represent). The backs are plain. There are two wooden end pieces, with the whole set being tied together with string.

Above: Ubo cards, purchased in an Oxfam UK shop, 1990. 24 wooden cards tied together with two wooden end pieces. Size: 35 x 66 mm approx.

Information about these cards was taken from the leaflet accompanying the cards. Some further information can be found at: Manobo, Obo►

Further Reference

Denning, Trevor: Primitive Cards from the Philippines, in ‘The Playing-Card’, Volume XX, No. 1, August 1991, pp 9-12.