SEARCHING FOR THE GRANDCHILD - HUNCHED GRANDMOTHER ON CRUTCHES

The house garden or an open space is usually set as the playing ground for this game. Boys and girls fancy this game and play it together. The number of players is limitless. In fact, the more players the merrier it is. The required tools are a wooden stick as a walking cane and a piece of handkerchief or cloth to cover the eyes.

Before starting the game a player is needed to play the role of ‘grandmother’ selected through the voting processes of ‘lai lai li tam plong’ and ‘wan to som’. The player who lost takes the role of the ‘grandmother’. The others take the roles of ‘grandchildren’.

The player who assumes the role of ‘grandmother’ must cover her eyes with a piece of cloth or handkerchief so that she is unable to see her ‘grandchildren’. The ‘grandmother’ is given a walking cane and, with her eyes covered, acts like a ‘blind grandmother’ walking alone and singing searching for her ‘grandchildren’.

Lyric of the Nenek Si Bongkok Tiga song:

"Nenek-nenek si bongkok tiga

Siang malam asyik berjaga

Mencari cucu di mana ada

Nenek nak kahwin dengan anak raja."

“Cucu, cucu, tak dapat Iari,

Nenek tua banyak sakti,

Sekarang nenek nak cari ganti,

Siapa kena dia yang jadi.”

(Meaning of The Hunched Grandmother’s’ Song)

('A hunched back grandmother

Day and night is preoccupied guarding

Searching for the where about of her grandchild

Grandmother wants to marry a prince.')

 ("Grandson, grandson, can't get away,

Grandmother has a lot of magic,

Now grandma wants to find a replacement,

Who should he as be.")