Instructions

Put your game pieces at the hoyyahá (start).

Take turns rolling one dice and moving your game piece forward the number of spaces you rolled.

Important!

You are only allowed to move forward if you count out loud in Nisenan as you move. If you don’t count out loud in Nisenan and another player calls you out, you forfeit your turn! Players can and should help each other count.

Example

You roll c’ɨɨy (four). You must count out wíttee, peen, sapwíy, c’ɨɨy (one, two, three, four) as you move your game piece forward four spaces. You can listen to the numbers on the "Nisenan Numbers" tab of this webpage.

Koymóo (rattlesnakes) move you backward

If you land on the head of a small koymóo, you must slide all the way down to the tail of that koymóo.

C’aa (logs) move you forward

If you land on the lower end of a c’aa, you can cross the c’aa and land on the space at the other end.

The first player to reach the wɨw (goal) wins!

You do not have to roll the exact number to reach the wɨw.

Variations

Lightning Mode

Play with two dice to make the game faster and to practice the numbers 1-12. All the regular rules apply. You can listen to the numbers on the "Nisenan Numbers" tab of this webpage.

Language Challenge Mode

Choose a person to be the Challenge Master; that person does not compete in the game.

Agree on a list of 2-5 Nisenan words or phrases for all the players to learn. Players review them before the game. The Challenge Master keeps the list hidden during the game.

When a player lands on the head of a koymóo, they can move one space further, escaping the koymóo, by passing a Language Challenge given by the Challenge Master.

Example Language Challenge

The group has chosen these phrases to learn:

Player 1 lands on the head of a koymóo. The Challenge Master quizzes the imperiled player by asking questions like:

If Player 1 answers the Language Challenge correctly, she can move forward one space, avoiding the koymóo. If not, she slides down to the tail like normal. Then the Challenge Master should review the group's challenge language with all the players, and gameplay continues.

Want suggestions for language to use in Language Challenge Mode? Check out our greetings webpage, any of our flashcard sets, and our language posters! We would like to thank some of the 3rd grade students at the 2025 California Indian Cultural Education Day program for suggesting this variation on Koymóon C’aan Ha. Wenném! (Thanks!)

Nisenan numbers

The Nisenan Language

The Nisenan language has four major dialects; you can see approximately where these dialects are spoken on the map below:

Map adapted from the book "California Indian languages" by Victor Golla (2011).

The SSBMI Community has ties to the Nisenan language through the Tribe's Matriarchs, Pamela Cleanso Adams and Annie Hill Murray Paris. Pamela spoke Valley Nisenan and, based on where she was from and the language of her relations, Annie likely spoke Southern Hill Nisenan.

Nisenan Numbers

Speakers from different areas use some different numbers. Even in the same area, there is often more than one way to say a given number. This can be overwhelming when you are learning the language! We recommend learning one system first as a foundation; then you can learn variations on that system.

This gameboard features just one of several ways to count from 1 to 50 in Southern Hill Nisenan, the dialect that Annie Hill Murray Paris likely spoke. We learn this number system primarily from William Joseph (a.k.a. Bill Joe), who also passed on the story of Hiik’í that inspired our gameboard design. You can explore the table below to listen to this way of counting from 1-50!

Hiik’í: The Big Snake

Unlike typical Snakes & Ladders gameboards, this one is laid out along the body of a giant snake and players move from its c’ol (head) to its buk (tail).

This gameboard's design is inspired by the Story of Hiik’í, the Big Snake, as told by William Joseph (a.k.a. Bill Joe). Bill Joe was a Nisenan man from Amador County who worked with linguists and anthropologists in the early 1900's, passing on a rich legacy of Nisenan language and culture.

Listen to SSBMI Language staff read the story of Hiik’í as told by Bill Joe:

More gameplay language

Most of us don't play boardgames in total silence! So why not speak more Nisenan as you play? Explore the table below to learn some of the Nisenan phrases we often use while playing Koymóon C’aan Ha and other games.

Try using Language Challenge Mode (see the "Instructions" tab) to practice these phrases!

Get the Game

The SSBMI Language Department handed out copies of Koymóon C’aan Ha to SSBMI Tribal Member households at the 2026 Annual Meeting. If you are an SSBMI Tribal Member and have not received your game, please email us at language@ssband.org.

Not an SSBMI Tribal Member and/or don't have an "official" Koymóon C’aan Ha set? You can still play the game! You can download, print, and tape together your own gameboard and use dice and game pieces from other games you have in your home:

Download a print-at-home version of the gameboard and instructions

Want to save ink? Download a black and white, low-ink version