“Bunnock is a fun game that can be played by two to eight players or more.
Two rows of 22 bones are set up about 10 Metres (32 feet 10 inches) apart with one guard at either end 40cm (16″ )apart as shown above. The object of the game is to first knock down the guards (Black Bones) then the inside soldiers (White Bones), before the other team. Each player throwing two bones each with the first team to throw to be decided by a coin toss. The first team to knock down their oppositions Bunnock with the least amount of throws will win the game.” from http://www.bunnock.com
“The exact origin of Bunnock is unclear, however the most widely accepted version is that Bunnock originated in Northern Siberia during the early 19th century. It is thought to of been created by Russian soldiers that needed to entertain themselves whilst posted in remote areas of Siberia. These soldiers had an abundance of horse anklebones of which they found out they could stand upright. It is also believed that originally players would be situated in the centre of a circle, with players throwing outward at a circle of bones.[3]
Bunnock would be introduced to Canada in the early 1900s by Russian and German immigrants. Most of these immigrants would settle in Saskatchewan, in which Bunnock became a popular farmyard pastime, farmers using their own horse anklebones.
In the 1960s, Joseph H. Gartner working at a horse meat processing plant, was granted the ability to salvage horse anklebones to make a set for his father. People living around Macklin, Saskatchewan caught word and also wanted sets. Gartner created a rulebook which standardized the rules and setup of Bunnock. These rules are still used today.” from Wikipedia
