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International African Institute

Ifa Divination in IgalaAuthor(s): J. S. BostonSource: Africa: Journal of the International African Institute, Vol. 44, No. 4 (Oct., 1974), pp.350-360Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of the International African InstituteStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1159055 .Accessed: 22/09/2011 13:30

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IFA DIVINATION IN IGALA 551The essence of anwa divination is to note whether the half pods fall face down orface up when the chains are cast in front of the diviner on to the ground. In the othermethod, Ifa ebutu, he diviner makes a series of marks on the surface of a smooth

patch of sand or dusty earth. These marks are set out in lines of four and can be oftwo kinds, either a double vertical mark or a single vertical stroke. A double verticalmark is described as being face down or closed, dade, n the same way that a halfpod lies dade when its convex back surface s uppermost. The single vertical strokeis said to be open or face up, bite, using the same term that is used for the anwa podsthat lie face up. Each vertical combination of four marks s as complete n itself as thepattern produced by the fall of one divining chain. But here the similarity betweenIfa anwa and Ifa ebutu nds since each line of pods or of marks in the sand has itsown name, and the procedure for interpreting he combination of patterns is dif-ferent in the two forms of divining.

In anwa divination he diviner ays his four chains out in front of him in four verticaland parallel ines. He addresses he oracle by means of a small bone or short stickwhich is touched against his lips when questions are being put and then tappedlightly across the seed pods so that none are left out. The first questions asked atthe beginning of a session are a test to see whether the chains are working properlyon that occasion. The diviner asks, 'what killed Ogbe?', and makes the first cast,picking up the two right-hand strings and throwing them forward, followed by thetwo left-hand strings. Ogbe is the title name of one of the Igala king's senior eunuchs.There is a tradition hat one holder of the title was murdered and that the dead manmakes his presence felt in Ifa by producing the pattern which indicates that Ogbe

died a violent death by being stabbed with an iron weapon. So as soon as the patternfor iron appears he diviner is satisfied hat Ogbe has come and that the chains arespeaking the truth. If the right pattern fails to appear after the initial question hasbeen varied several imes on the theme of Ogbe's death, the set of strings s put asidefor the day, and another set tried out.

When the diviner is satisfied hat Ogbe has come and that the strings are workingproperly he puts the first question brought by his client and casts the strings again.In reading off the answers to the initial test and to subsequent questions the divinerfollows a complex pattern, as follows. The strings are read n pairs giving the follow-ing combinations (if we call the four chains A, B, C, and D):

DA, DC, BA, DB, CA, AD, AB, CD, AC, BD.

The name of each pair is formed by joining the names of the pattern formed byeach string. Thus if the last chain's pattern is called Akwu and the first one Ochethe name of the pair is AkwuOche. Each pair of patterns has a particular meaningwhich may be retained n the form of a proverb, or in a short phrase.

Most diviners are content to read off six or seven pairs from the patterns presentedto them by each cast. But an expert diviner may, in his mind, transpose his positionto the place opposite where he sits and read off the strings from there. This positionis called olodudu,morning sun, or East. Following this he moves, mentally, to the

North of the square and reads horizontally across the strings, and when this iscomplete he concludes the sequence by going to the South side and reading off pairsin the horizontal rows from there.

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xxx

Okono Qkala)/xx

Oloru

x

Oji

x

,/x

Ogoli

xx

v

.Egalixxxx

Oyekwu akwu)

IV/

xOgwuAo

IFA DIVINATION IN IGALA 353Oli ki a dagogo ola.Stick that makes the bell talk.Means food prepared for the ancestors, something with

blood.

Agbogo enw anyi anyi.Anywhere that food is there will be laughter.Its meaning is laughter.

lye ki bi oji imefu ojin.The mother that gave birth to Oji does not know what

is inside Oji.This one is like the stomach, o one knows what s inside

it.

Okpologodo yino fugba la ki ma gbebiWords can be hidden in the stomach, but not hunger.Nothing is concealed, it stands on four legs (and one

can see that there is nothing underneath.

This means a knife or cutting instrument that is used

to kill an animal, cut a rope or a stick, etc.

This speaks of people meeting together, or of witchcraft.

Abene mefa najo kijali ma.Takes on six people in a lawsuit and beats them all.Of the sixteen brothers n Ifa this one is the strongest.When their mother was arrested he other brothers went

oneby

one to theking

tobeg

for herrelease,

but wererefused.

(Ejita incombinations)

x

IxI

Ofu

Then ogwutowent to beg and behaved with such greatpoliteness that no one could refuse him anything.

Iyenw a hi ote oha atanw dod eti Ohiemini mionugo bekpe,olugbe kpa min.His mother is cooking beer, his father dwells by the side

of the Niger. I myself am wet through, and do notsuffer rom thirst.A compliant person who will follow where others lead.

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I onwgbogidi gidi, onobule uhi unyi oko.He says he hears loud quarrelling, a woman gets her

/ reputation n her husband's house.

V/ The noise indicates hat things are happening, as when thev~~~/ ~market is in full swing or when the engine of a car isOtula working.

In addition to these sixteen basic meanings that emerge when the strings are readseparately, another series of meanings emerges when the strings are read in pairs.For example the patterns called ora and eka have their own meanings as individualchains. But there is another meaning for the combination of the two, which has thename, oreka. And there is another meaning for the reverse combination, ekora. Itis not possible, for reasons of space, to give all the meanings of the pairs here, because

they number over two hundred. But I give below, as an example, the meaningswhich the pattern eka can have in combination with itself and with the fifteen otherbasic patterns. In this list the meaning includes a praise name (or 'name of power')which is given first, in Igala. This is followed by a translation of the Igala sentence.In the last sentence I give the conventional meaning of the pattern.

eka okala pjobi jala, enwa chawpt.o awuhi lyokon.

(ekohala) Evil day ojala, something happens on the right hand andprevents the left hand from going to the farm.

An ill-omened day, a bad day for doing things.

ekotule Ibaji Kpeja ajugwan.Ibaji (people) catch fish but will not give one a proper

greeting.This stands for a fish.

ekogwute Qjo ki nyewo haka hi nyile chaha.God is in every town and in the whole world.This refers to God, the supreme being and creator.

eha nabo alule a wowomin.

(nabo s the Ibo term A person walking does not rest his hands.for twice) A journey.

ekebi agbiti ki maje kagidi defoom.(translation uncertain).This concerns something in the sky.

ekofu ojobe heji, dile d.ojegwu.If a person has two spirit guardians he is not in this world

but in the world of the dead.The personal guardian spirit or spirit of destiny, called.jo.-

IFA DIVINATION IN IGALA54

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IFA DIVINATION IN IGALAekoche ane chechi i ajugbe amoma le.

silent earth that eats up the seed of the children of thisworld.

This means ane, he land.

ehatunuhpa oma nypkole bi.Women give birth because children are good.This refers to a small child.

ehora onwoma nibe ki bonualejei.It is the child with sense that (is chosen to go) with the

chief on a journey.This refers to someone's house, the questioner's house.

ehobala ukponw a du chokolobia.

(A person) uses his cloth in acting the part of a youngman.

This means a cloth.

ekete onw achihwu wulugbe, gbokebo de ugbodu(ea olete) a nyomo e

He is tachihwu wulugbe, ill a stupid, clumsy person goto the place where an ebo oracle spirit) is ?

This means an oracle spirit, ebo.

ekegaliebie o chiili, chebo

abakpa fe.By the blood spurting out (you may know that) theMoslem's sacrifice has been accepted.

This refers to the blood of a sacrificial ictim.

ekogoli anagbo eki ma nokwute.An old person who has no ohwute. Okwute s an ancestral

staff used in making sacrifice; old men possess thembut not women.)

Someone's mother.

ekahwu ojigbo fi mu anegbo ane ekete.White hairs come to an old head, when the land is old

it turns to sand.An old person.

ekaoloru enugwa wojowe.If you know any greetings, greet your ojo (personal

guardian, and spirit of destiny).This refers to someone's oo.

ekodi anuwo nohpe.(ekoji) Hilly land has hollows.

A hilly place; hills.Bb

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IFA DIVINATION IN IGALA 357

Knowledge of Ifa anwa s very widely diffused n Igala and it is usual at diviningsequences o find more than one man with knowledge of the basic patterns and a fairunderstanding of the pairs of chains.

Knowledge of the second form of divination, Ifa ebutu, s even more widely diffusedthan the knowledge of anwa techniques. Probably over half the adult men in Igalacan operate the sand oracle and although it is regarded as less reliable han the anwamethod sand divining is in constant use and is relied upon to provide the answer toeveryday problems of health and prosperity. The procedure or sand divination s asfollows:

The diviner sits on the ground and smoothes a patch of sand or of dusty earth nfront of him. He then holds his right hand in front of his mouth and calls the praisenames of the Earth deity, Ane.

ane magedo-land hat fears not.odugbo hwu abojo-this could not be translated directly but was said to mean that

whatever s put on the ground, the earth does not refuse.

The diviner then makes a dotted line across the sand in front of him, using thesecond or third finger of the right hand, and making dots at random. This is calledenanya. tarting from the right-hand side the diviner marks off alternate dots alongthe line until he is left with either a single dot or a pair of dots at the left-hand end ofthe line. The rest of the line is then scrubbed out, leaving only the pair or the singledot on the left. The result is then scored at the edge of the patch nearest the diviner

by makinga

singleshort vertical mark for one dot or two short vertical lines for a

pair of dots. This procedure of obtaining a score is repeated hree more times afterthe first score so that the diviner finishes with four scores. These four sets of marksare drawn on the sand n a vertical ine or column, one score below the other in theirorder of appearance. A complete column with its four double or single marks issaid to form a house, unyi. And the double and single marks are described n thesame way as the seed pods of the anwa method. They are either bite, open (a singlefinger-mark) r dade, losed (a double finger-mark).

This whole operation s then repeated hree times in the centre of the sand patchto produce a total of four houses which are then laid out in a row side by side inorder of their

appearance beginningon the

right).This set of four houses then

'gives birth', bi, to a second set of four which are laid out to the left of the first setof houses. As the following diagram shows, the second set of four houses areobtained by reading across the rows of the first set.

!1 i I i11 1 1 I Ii

1 I l I! l I Isecond four houses, first four houses

the children, amoma. (read across the rowsfrom right to leftto get the second set).

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IFA DIVINATION IN IGALA

From this first row of eight houses, a further our houses are 'born' by comparingadjacent pairs in the first row. The following diagram shows that if the adjacentmarks are both closed they produce another closed mark. If adjacent marks are both

open, a closed mark results (because two single marks in the sand produce a pairwhen brought together). An open mark (i.e. a single dot) is produced only by theconjunction of a closed and an open mark (a double and a single mark, giving anodd number).

I 11 I I II I I I I

I I I I III I11 II

I II III II

I 1 1 II 11 11i I I

I I I

I I I

11 I

From these four houses a further two are 'born' and this pair are combined toproduce a single house which is set out below them as shown in the diagram. Thepattern s now complete except for the last house. This is obtained by combining thefigure on the extreme right in the top row and the middle house of the bottom row.This last house is placed to one side on the right-hand edge of the pattern.

I 11 I I II II II II

II I I I11111 II I I I

I I

I I

I

II1I

II I II 1 III ! I I I

I I I

I i I

There are sixteen basic figures in sand divination, sixteen being the total numberof permutations possible with a column of four double or single marks. Each figure

has ts own name, and also has a proper position which is said to be the 'house' of thatfigure. The following diagram sets out the sixteen figures with each one in its ownhouse, that is in the correct position in relation to all the other figures.

358

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I I I I I

I I I I I

II II I

I I I I I

Alumuku Alekwumola Okwubaja

I I

I I

Onuchu-Dahili

k DIVINATION IN IGALAI I I I I

I I I I

I I I

I I I I

Ateliki Alubiala EtemeteDahili

I I

I

II I

Atamain

A aI

I I

Achika

I I

EnikiladiI I

OtubaI I

I I

IOkwubadala

When a figure appears in its own house Igala say i megeji and apply the appropriateone of the sixteen basic meanings to the figure. These sixteen meanings run as follows:

anikoch/ejolaikaetemete ahili

alubialaatelikiokwubajaalekwumolaalumukuonuchudahiliatamainachikainachajaanikiladiokwubadalaotubaajema

something made of iron, something stronga mana journeysomeone's mothera journeyan illness attacking someonea young woman or a young girldeathwitchcrafta four-footed animalsomeone's father

laughterquarrellinga house or housessomeone with a black hearta meeting or gathering

When the last house has been marked out on the sand, a little to one side on the

right, the diviner looks at it and interprets the meaning by putting together the

meaning of the house actually there and the meaning of the house which belongs tothat position, as in the complete table of houses. For example, if alumuku s in ajema'shouse it could mean people gathered for a funeral. From this pair the diviner worksbackwards to see which house is in possession of alumuku's position and he goes on

working out the paired meanings until he reaches a house in its correct position.This completes the first reading. A second reading can be obtained by counting upthe single marks (omi) that open or close houses in the whole pattern. When counting

I I

I I

I I

Qlaika

359

A c

Anikocheje

I

I I

I I

Inachaja

I I

I I

I I

I I

Ajema

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IFA DIVINATION IN IGALA

up marks in this way no attention is paid to double marks, but only to the singlemarks which occur either at the top or bottom of the houses. If there are over tenmarks the ten is disregarded, so that eighteen would count as eight for example andsixteen as six.

Havingobtained this number the diviner counts off houses,4

startingfrom the top right-hand corner until he reaches the given total. The house pickedout in this way forms the first house in the second reading. The diviner works back-wards as in the first reading by naming the house in occupation and linking its

meaning to that of the house which owns that position. The second reading con-tinues, like the first, until the diviner reaches a house in its correct position.

In sand divination as in the anwa method the diviner is guided by his knowledgeof the circumstances in deciding how to interpret the results of his inquiry. Myinformant told me quite openly that not all the houses which show up are involvedin the interpretation. The diviner and his clients decide between them what is

relevant, and pick out the main points of the interpretation. For example, if an oraclespirit is referred to, the diviner and his client will try to identify the spirit in questionby their knowledge of the background and from any clues given by the Ifa pattern.All the men present are thinking in terms of sacrifices to be made in order to avertsome misfortune or to secure some blessing. And their knowledge of quarrels anddifficulties in social relationships is especially relevant to the task of interpretation.Divination serves as a catalyst in making public facts that have been kept in the

background or partially hidden. Ifa reminds everyone that social disturbances

produce ritual upheavals.REFERENCES

BOSTON,J.

S. I970. 'Thesupernatural aspect

of disease andtherapeutics among

theIgala.' African

Notes(Ibadan), (3).I97I. 'Igala medicines and fetishes', Africa, xli. 3.

ResumeDIVINATION IFA EN PAYS IGALA

LES diffdrents esprits auxquels croient les Igala ne sont pas ordonnes hierarchiquement, usystematiquement. Cependant, en revelant l'intervention des forces spirituelles dans toutesituation, l'oracle Ifa introduit l'ordre et une systematique dans la religion. Cet oracle estconsulte avant que toute ddcision d'importance (telle que le choix du lieu de residence,

l'opportunite d'entreprendre un long voyage) ne soit prise.II existe en pays Igala deux types de divination. L'un (Ifa anwa) utilise I6 sortes de fevesdisposes en quatre ils ou chaines, quatre eves a chaque chaine. L'autre (Ifa ebutu) epose surles signes inscrits avec les doigts sur une surface isse de terre ou de sable. II existe, pour l'unet l'autre type d'oracle Ifa, I6 figures possibles, dont chacune porte un nom et renvoie aune signification conventionnelle. Existent, en outre, plus de deux cents noms et significa-tions secondaires, correspondant aux diffdrents couples de chaines ou de marques sur lesable. La connaissance de ces deux types d'Ifa est largement repandue chez les Igala.

Les circonstances propres a chaque cas sur lequel ils sont consultes guident les devins;leur connaissance des querelles et des relations sociales rompues est particulierement pre-cieuse pour la phase d'interpretation. L'Ifa rappelle a chacun que les infractions a l'ordre

social entrainent des bouleversements rituels.4 But the last house to appear in the configuration, which is set out on the right-hand side, is not included

when dots are being counted.

360