4166 – African Divination Board or Tray

Physical description:

A large circular wooden tray or board, made of a rather beautiful dark wood, with a plain central area and an elaborately carved rim. At the top centre of the rim there is a stylised carved face with arms on either side. The carvings also include two snakes twisted into knot-like shapes, a human figure in pose that seems to suggest dancing and chanting, and a humanoid figure emerging from a pattern of zig-zags that may be intended to suggest water.

Museum classification:

Divination / African Magic

Size:

500 diam. and 25 deep.

Information:

See also MWM 3874 and 4165.

An Opon Ifa (Divination Tray). Yoruba. Probably Nigerian, probably 19th century.

Provenance: Roger Todd Collection, London.

The face at the top of the board represents Eshu, a messenger deity who acts as a medium between the human and spirit realms, specifically to Ifa, the God of divination. To use the board a question was asked, small objects were selected and scattered across the board, and their position was read to provide the answer.

The basic form of divination is described here by Eileen Moyer from The University of Iowa Museum of Art:

"To begin the divination process the babalawo sits facing the door, so that light streams across the tray, allowing no shadow to fall on it.  The tray is covered with a thin layer of wood dust. The diviner holds sixteen palm nuts between his hands and shakes them, closing his hand to capture a few. He makes a mark in the dust of the tray based on whether the nuts in his hand are even or odd in number.  This is repeated eight times, with the eight resulting marks indicating a verse that is recited by the babalawo.  The verse discloses the forces that have brought misfortune and suggests solutions to the problems (Bascom 1969). The process, by which an Ifa diviner learns the Odu, or verses, involves extensive education, which can span an entire lifetime.  The diviner, who is highly respected by the community, is consulted during all important rites of passage in Yoruba life and is able to influence directly the policies of the society (Drewal 1989)."

https://africa.uima.uiowa.edu/chapters/divination/divination-techniques/?start=4

See Drewal, Henry, Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought , 1989.

Resource:

Object

Materials:

Wood

Copyright ownership:

MWM

See also MWM 3874 and 4165.

An Opon Ifa (Divination Tray). Yoruba. Probably Nigerian, probably 19th century.

Provenance: Roger Todd Collection, London.

The face at the top of the board represents Eshu, a messenger deity who acts as a medium between the human and spirit realms, specifically to Ifa, the God of divination. To use the board a question was asked, small objects were selected and scattered across the board, and their position was read to provide the answer.

The basic form of divination is described here by Eileen Moyer from The University of Iowa Museum of Art:

"To begin the divination process the babalawo sits facing the door, so that light streams across the tray, allowing no shadow to fall on it.  The tray is covered with a thin layer of wood dust. The diviner holds sixteen palm nuts between his hands and shakes them, closing his hand to capture a few. He makes a mark in the dust of the tray based on whether the nuts in his hand are even or odd in number.  This is repeated eight times, with the eight resulting marks indicating a verse that is recited by the babalawo.  The verse discloses the forces that have brought misfortune and suggests solutions to the problems (Bascom 1969). The process, by which an Ifa diviner learns the Odu, or verses, involves extensive education, which can span an entire lifetime.  The diviner, who is highly respected by the community, is consulted during all important rites of passage in Yoruba life and is able to influence directly the policies of the society (Drewal 1989)."

https://africa.uima.uiowa.edu/chapters/divination/divination-techniques/?start=4

See Drewal, Henry, Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought , 1989.