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Bha mi ag innse dhuibh mu sheann gheamannan a bhathar a’ cluich ann an Uibhist. Tha Falach Fead co-ionann ri hide and seek. Bidh aon chluicheadair a’ còmhdachadh a shùilean. Bidh càch a’ dol am falach. Le fead, bidh an sealgair a’ fosgladh a shùilean, agus a’ lorg gach duine. Nuair a tha a h-uile duine aige, bidh a’ chiad duine a lorg e a’ dol na àite.

Bha geama ann coltach ri Blind Man’s Buff. ’S e Bodachan an Doille Bhodaich a bha air. Bodachan an Doille Bhodaich. Bha neapaiginn air a ceangal timcheall ceann cuideigin, ga dhèanamh ‘dall’. Bha aige ri feadhainn eile a ghlacadh.Ìý

Bha an geama sin air a chluich a-muigh no am broinn taighe. Ach bha Falach a’ Phàipeir air a chluich a-staigh. Bidh a h-uile duine ach aonan a’ fàgail seòmar. Tha an neach anns an t-seòmar a’ cur pìos pàipeir am falach.Ìý

Bidh càch a’ tighinn a-steach. Bidh iad a’ rùrachadh, feuch am pìos pàipeir a lorg. Nuair a tha cuideigin faisg air, bidh am falachair ag èigheachd, ‘Teth, teth!’ Nuair a tha iad a’ gluasad air falbh bhon phàipear, bidh e ag èigheachd, ‘Fuar, fuar!’ Nuair a lorgas cuideigin am pàipear, cha bhi e a’ cantainn guth, ach bidh e a’ suidh sìos. Tha an geama a’ leantainn gus an lorg a h-uile duine am pàipear.

Cuiridh mi crìoch air mo chunntas le tuairisgeul dhen gheama MacCruslaig ’s na Mucan. ’S e aon chluicheadair a’ Mhuc Mhòr. Air a chùlaibh, tha clann bheaga ann an sreath singilte. Is iad na ‘h-uirceanan’.

Tha ‘MacCruslaig’ a’ tighinn a-steach. Tha e ag ràdh ris a’ Mhuic Mhòir, ‘Chuir MacLeòid a dh’iarraidh muic mi. Am faigh mi i seo ...? Tha e a’ buntainn ri uircean.Ìý

Tha a’ Mhuc Mhòr a’ freagairt, ‘Chan fhaigh!’ Tha MacCruslaig an uair sin a’ dèanamh an aon rud leis a h-uile uircean. Leis an fhear mu dheireadh, bidh a’ Mhuc Mhòr a’ leum air beulaibh MhicCruslaig. Bidh an fheadhainn bheaga a’ feuchainn ri teicheadh. Bidh MacCruslaig a’ feuchainn ri greim a ghabhail air fear dhiubh. Tha spòrs gu leòr anns a’ gheama seo!

I was telling you about old games that were played in Uist. Falach Fead is equivalent to ‘hide and seek’. One player covers his eyes. The others hide. With a whistle, the ‘hunter’ opens his eyes and searches for all the people. When he has everybody, the first person he found goes in his place.

There was a game like Blind Man’s Buff. It was called Bodachan an Doille Bhodaich.ÌýBodachan an Doille Bhodaich. A handkerchief was tied around somebody’s head, making him ‘blind’. He had to catch others.

That game was played outside or inside a house. But ‘Hiding the Paper’ was played indoors. Everybody except for one person leaves a room. The person in the room hides a piece of paper.

The others enter. They rummage around, trying to find the piece of paper. When somebody is close to it, the hider shouts ‘Hot, hot!’ When they are moving away from the paper, he shouts, ‘Cold, cold!’ When somebody finds the paper, he says nothing, but sits down. The game continues until everybody finds the paper.

I’ll conclude my account with a description of the game MacCruslaig and the Pigs. One player is the Adult Pig. Behind him there are little children in single file. They are ‘the piglets’.

‘MacCruslaig’ comes in. He says to the Adult Pig, ‘The MacLeod chief sent me to get a pig. Can I have this one…? He touches a piglet.

The Adult Pig replies, ‘No!’. MacCruslaig then does the same thing with every piglet. With the final one, the Adult Pig jumps in front of MacCruslaig. The wee ones try to escape. MacCruslaig tries to grab one of them. This game is full of fun!