(AFRICA.) DIVINATION. Yoruba diviner's carved wooden plate, ivory "pointer" and necklace of 19th century ceremonial glass trade beads, used in the ritual. With a custom made stand. The carved wooden plate, 15 x 12-1/2 inches with three faces on the top edge; the ivory pointer, 8-1/2 inches long tapering from one inch to a fine point; and the diviner's "chain" or necklace consisting of 18 large, oval milk glass beads, connected by a series of 16 groups of small, fine glass beads in "tassels;" each end of the necklace is attached to a finely polished pit of some sort of fruit (possibly peach.) Western Nigeria, first quarter of the 20th century
"Divining" or telling the future, or interpreting the present or past, is a custom common to almost every so-called "primitive" culture. In Africa, divination is an important part of every day life: "When should I build my house," "will I have a son or a daughter," "why have I not prospered," or sometimes more sinister, "is 'so and so' a witch?" There are all manner of divining instruments, but the present one is the most common to the Ifa tradition of the Yoruba of Western Nigeria. The "Babalawo," or Diviner would typically take a handful of bones, teeth, bits of glass, cowries, seeds and other material, shake them up, and toss it all on the plate (the opon Ifa). This plate usually has the face or faces of "Eshu" the messenger, sometimes called the "trickster" carved on its edge (as does the present plate). He would then interpret the form that the material had taken, and using the ivory pointer, would indicate to the "client" what the position of each thing on the board meant. The reverse side of this type of board has another, smaller area in its center. If something unpleasant, sinister or actually evil presents itself; the Babalawo would then toss the material on this side. For examples like this plate see John Henry Drewel, Yoruba, Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought (Center for African Art, Abrams, 1989).
