Adapted from R.G.Shirts – Rafa Rafa
General Overview:
The participating students are divided into two groups. Each group is instructed in a new way of living.
One group is called Alpha Culture, the other, Beta Culture. The people in Alpha are fun loving,
superstitious, honor their elders, and enjoy being close to one another. People in Beta are hard working,
businesslike, foreign speaking, and do not like to be close to one another.
The Exchange:
Once the groups learn their culture, observers are exchanged. Observers travel to the other culture to
try to learn about it by listening and watching. After a short visit, they return home and report their
findings. Visitors are then exchanged to live with the other group. Unlike the observers, visitors are
encouraged to speak and interact with their hosts. During all the visits, no one is allowed to ask about
the specific rules of the culture but must infer them. Once everyone has had a chance to be a visitor or
observer, the game is over. In the post-game discussion, the participants discuss the ideas and feelings
created by the experience.
Overarching Purposes:
To illustrate the difficulties and problems one may encounter when interacting with persons/cultures
who are different from us. Including:
 The tendency to disparage anything another person or group does that we don’t understand
 The tendency of some person to rush into a new situation without observing or trying to figure
out what the values and attitudes of the people are and, on the other hand, the tendency of
others to never try to learn by interacting.
 To introduce the importance of speaking in the descriptive rather than evaluative terms when
talking about people/groups.
 To serve as a beginning point for studying certain characteristics, values, and qualities in
different cultures.
Alpha Land
Read to Group:
You are now in Alpha Land. You are Alphas! You have lived in Alpha Land all your life. You really like to
play to games together. Whenever you see another person, you want to play your game with them.
Alphas love to play and they don’t like to work. The game Alpha’s play the most is Rafa Rafa.
How to Play the Game:
1) Stand so you are facing another Alpha
2) In the game, one person puts a pebble in one hand and nothing in the other. He or she then puts their
hands behind their back. The object of the game is for the GUESSER to try to guess the empty hand
three times in a row. Because the empty hand brings you closer to winning, and if you can guess it three
times in a row, you win! If you guess the bone, however, you lose.
3) You don’t start by guessing. If you want to play Rafa Rafa with a person you stand in front of them
and stamp your foot three times. If the person you’re stamping in front of wants to play with you, he or
she will gently grab your upper arm. Now you can play the game. The person who grasped your arm,
hides the bone and you try to guess which hand is empty.
4) As soon as you guess, the Hider brings both hands out in front and shows you which one is empty and
which one has the bone. If you were unlucky and guessed the bone, you move away very quickly,
because you lost and you want to find someone else and win!
5) If you guess the empty hand the first time, then you stamp three times and guess again. If you get the
empty hand three times in a row, then you win and you would shout RAFA RAFA! Everyone would come
over and touch you with three fingers and say Rafa Rafa so they can have a better chance of winning in
the next game. Alphas love to be touched, but not too hard so be careful.
*Test out the game with the students now .
6) If a visitor comes and wants to play but does not stamp three times, an Alpha walks away quickly. You
wouldn’t want to play with someone who doesn’t know the rules.
7) The most important thing to remember is to never, ever talk about the rules of Alpha Land.
Beta Land
Read to Group:
You live in Beta Land! You are a Beta! You respect anyone who works hard. In Beta Land, people want to
get 4 of the same cards. You believe the harder one works, the more money one earns. So each of you
would like to be the richest and therefore the most respected person in Beta Land.
So how do you become rich? By trading in 4 of a kind for 1 unit of money. After you’ve traded in your 4
of a kind, you can exchange those cards for 4 new cards.
1) You receive one unit of money when you are able to collect one of each animal in the same color
card.
2) Beta members trade by walking around the room and asking for the card they want in Beta trading
language. For example, if you have an 8 and want t get four 8s, you would make eye contact with
someone to know that you want to trade, but after you make eye contact with them you don’t look
them in the eyes again. You hold up the card that you want (hold up your 8 card to say you would like
another) then…
5) To say “yes” in Beta language, nod your head up and down. To say “no” or “I don’t have it” in Beta
language, raise your elbows up like you are a scarecrow – and let your hands hang down. (everyone
stands up and practices saying “no”).
6) You know how to trade, but there are a few other rules. It is not good manners to ever stand close to
another person. Since you can’t stand close, here is how you trade:
 Trader A sets the card on the floor she is giving away and backs away. Then Trader B puts the
card he or she is trading on the floor, picks up Trader A’s card and moves away. Trader A then
picks up Trader B’s card. This makes it possible to trade without getting too close. Practice
trading now.
7) Whenever you get 4 of a kind cards, you go to the bank, write your initials, put the number 1 by it and
you get 4 new trading cards.
8) When the visitors come, you can trade with them, but you are very proud of your trading language so
they must speak the Beta language – you cannot speak English. You can gesture with them, point to
cards, and communicate in any other way to help trade.
9) Be sure to not tell anyone about the Beta rules of the culture. Their job is to figure out how to
communicate with your culture.
Sequence of Events:
*Each group needs two leaders (4 people total)
1) Explain general rules to whole group
2) Students are split up into Alphas and Betas
3) Each group learns about their own cultures
4) Each group chooses Observers and Visitors (about 3 groups of visitors)
5) Observers visit different culture – they are not allowed to speak, only observe. Cultures go on as if no
one is present.
6) Observers go back and report on what they saw.
7) Leader sends first group of visitors with an artifact from the other culture.
8) Visitors return to home culture and report to the group. Everyone tries to guess what the rules are to
that culture.
9) Second group of visitors go – and report back
10) Third set of visitors go – and report back
11) Butler students lead discussion of experience in whole group.
Whole Group Discussion Questions:
1. Ask the Beta members to explain the Alpha group.
2. Ask the Alpha members to explain the Beta Group.
3) Ask the Alpha members how the Beta visitors appeared to them **watch for evaluative words rather
than descriptive words – point out that judgmental words aren’t helpful when describing a culture but it
is the first “type” of description people use when something is different from what they know – similar
to the Native Americans and Colonists.
4) Ask Beta members how the Alpha visitors appeared to them.
5) Ask Alpha members to describe their feelings and thoughts when they visited the Beta culture.
6) Ask Beta members to describe their feelings and thoughts when they visited the Alpha culture.
7) Ask a Beta member to explain the Beta culture
8) Ask an Alpha member to explain the Alpha culture
9) Ask members of each culture where they preferred to live and why.
10) What are the important things you can learn from this simulation?
*What looks vivid and unusual to an outsider might seem perfectly consistent and logical to another
*Non-verbal communication can be extremely effective and help break boundaries
*some cultures stand very close to each other – others do not – proximity is a lot different
*some cultures value play and harmony over money and work
*almost everyone feels uncomfortable at first mixing with persons different from oneself, but if you can
anticipate those feelings, it makes it easier to go ahead and be with the new culture until those feelings
go away.
Alphas - Katie A – Megan – Sam – Molly – Bekkah – Marissa – Katrina – Hannah – Lea – Jenna – Amelia –
Trae
Betas - Morgan – Jackie – Audrey – Stephanie B. – Katie S. – Kristin – Stephanie K. – James – Mia –
Lindsey – Cassondra - Louise