Dabuda is a mancala game played by the Afar, a people living mainly in the Afar Region of Ethiopia as well as northern Djibouti and at a smaller scale in the southern point of Eritrea. Most Afars are nomadic pastoralists, raising goats, sheep, and cattle in the desert. Their total population is estimated to be over 5,000,000. The game is played by both men and boys. It was first described by Richard Pankhurst in 1971 as Dabuda I (long board) and Dabuda II (short board). Wealthy players used wooden boards, while children just dug holes in the ground.