Ifa Orisa

Two Studies of Ifa Divination. Introduction: The Mode of Divination Author(s): Peter Morton-Williams, William Bascom, E. M.McClelland Source: Africa: Journal of the International African Institute, Vol. 36, No. 4 (Oct., 1966), pp. 406-431 Published by: Edinburgh University Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1158049 Accessed: 09/03/2009 19:50 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=eup. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1995 to build trusted digital archives for scholarship. We work with the scholarly community to preserve their work and the materials they rely upon, and to build a common research platform that promotes the discovery and use of these resources. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Edinburgh University Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Africa: Journal of the International African Institute. http://www.jstor.org [406] TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION INTRODUCTION: THE MODE OF DIVINATION PETER MORTON-WILLIAMS cover and hope to influence the changes in their relationships with the gods and ancestors and other spirits in their complex cosmos, and so to gain their aid in their pursuit of health and good fortune. They employ a number of divinatory techniques. T O the Yoruba, divination is of great concern, as the means by which they dis- for which there are three procedures of varying complexity, the two most complex being used by professional diviners (babalawo).The Ifa oracle is animated by a deity named Orunmila, but also often called Ifa. The diviner consults the oracle to find out the oduwhich governs his client's predicament. An oduis a sign that he draws in powder sprinkled over the divining board (opon-there is a tradition that the earliest diviners traced their signs in the earth); it is governed by a spirit of the same name as the odu; and it has a set of incantations and myths explaining the client's own situation by reference to an archetypal situation, and prescribing certain offerings to be made to the odu spirit and perhaps to other deities as well, if the client is to gain his ends. An odu sign is made up of eight elements of short single lines arranged in two columns of four. The diviner may throw down a rope or chain on which are strung eight similar objects-half shells of palm nuts, domed brass disks, etc.-that can give a 'heads or tails' arrangement. He takes the divining chain (oppl) by the middle, letting the ends hang so that the four objects hang on either side, and throws it in a manner that preserves the two lines of four heads and tails. Or he may hold sixteen palm nuts in one hand and pick as many as he can from the handful with one movement of the other hand, noting whether one or two are left. Two or a 'head' is denoted by a single line on the divining board, and one or a ' tail' by a double line. For this, he must perform the operation with the nuts eight times to get a complete odu, while a complete one is obtained from a single throw of the divining chain. The oduis built up on the divining board by marking the bottom right-hand element first, then the bottom left, next the second right, and so on, going from left to right and from bottom to top. (Odu are sometimes painted on walls as charms, and then the elements are drawn as dots or round blobs.) It will be evident that there are sixteen possible signs in which the right and left columns are identical. These are the principal oduand it is the order in which they are arrayed and memorized by diviners that is discussed in the following two papers. A further 240 oduhave dissimilar columns; these are properly called pmpodu, ' children of the (principal) odu'. Each of the sixteen possible combinations of four elements in a column-a pattern of single and double strokes-is named, and the name of the oduis simply the name of the right-hand column followed by that of the left. If, for instance, the pattern pse appears on the right and otura on the left, the odu is Osetura;but if both columns are psf, the oduis Qsf Meji, ' two Qs ' or ' double Qse '. The one that yields the fullest informationis the system of geomancy known as Ifa, and several authors have surmised that not only Ifa and related forms in West Africa but also Sikidi divination in Madagascar were developed locally as variations on the system as diffused by the Arabs into Muslim Africa. Professor Bascom continues his empirical survey of the order actually recorded from a very large number of informants. The procedure survived to be acquired as a form of astronomical geomancy in Medieval Europe and continued later (see. He may recite to his client the formula he judges most suitable. McClelland analyses the principle on which is structured the order accepted by members of her sample of diviners in the central Yoruba area. when If? and not QyQ was the cultural centre of the Yoruba. pl. p. another procedure is for him to recite one after the other the formulae for whatever oduappears. What is especially interesting is the way the system has been thoroughly incorporated in Yoruba cosmological conceptions. to the details of the odu. 22. as consulting a different oracle. Accordingto Cornelius Agrippa and Others. Hebert's notable paper ' Analyse structurale des geomancies Comoriennes. xxxi (I961). 1932). Becker's Islamstudien. Hebert. It was also accepted by the Arabs. Besides discovering the limited range of variation in the order of listing the odu. Malgaches et Africaines' in the Journal de la Societedes Africanistes (Paris). continuing until one seems to the client to refer to his predicament. Franz Hartmann's The Principlesof Astrological The Art of Divining by Punctuation Geomancy. as Professor Bascom observes. the nature of which he is not expected to tell the diviner. I889 and I 9I3). not only among the Yoruba but also among neighbouring peoples who practise the system. C. London. ch. from the myths of the first descent of Ifa-Orunmila from Heaven at If?. If the client wants further enlightenment the diviner may make more casts. concerning the ethnography and history of West Africa. McClelland show that the Yoruba have Ee . and especially J. her study also presents valuable new information on the insight of diviners into their procedures. The borrowing would have been made some centuries ago. Dr. he is able to assess the originality and reliability of the many ethnographic descriptions of Ifa divination. The sixteen columns in the set of odu signs are identical with the signs used in a system of geomancy originating in antiquity in the Near East. The diviner then tells him what rituals to perform and what offerings to make. possibly the Yoruba vocalization of Arabic ar-raml (sand-a colloquialism for darb ar-raml. H. Indications of an Arabic origin for the basic procedure of Ifa divination are given in the names Ifa. These two specialized studies of one part of the system of Ifa divination relate to problems of much wider interest. notes that ramouliis the Sudanese Muslim term for geomancy). 'divination by sand'. if any reliance is to be placed on Yoruba traditions. and among the descendants of the Yoruba in Cuba. and add more odu to the one on the board.TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION 407 The diviner memorizes a vast number of odu myth formulae. for instance. he is expected to be able to recite many for each of the 256 odu signs. I 17. The careful analyses by Professor Bascom and Dr.ii (Leipzig. so that the Yoruba Muslim diviners who today practise darb ar-raml (called abigbaby the Yoruba) are thought of. fu'l7 and af'ul (auspice) and Orunmila. which may derive from Arabic al-fa'l. Useful material is to be found in C. The question of the order in which the sixteen principal oduare arranged is discussed from two different points of view in the papers that follow. 2. the FQn. This was based on seventy-two lists from fifty-three sources for the Yoruba. and the Ewe of West Africa.d. p. 1943. xlii. 676-82. the present paper was delivered at the annual meetings of the American Anthropological Association at Detroit in November I964. . I41. confirm order (E) as a legitimate I William Bascom. (c. 2 Geoffrey Parrinder. p. 1958. Ifa. 38B. 3 Fela $owande. including one which I recorded at QyQ in I965. I05. rather than from right to left as in reading the derivative figures such as Ogbe-Qy(ku. xxiii. p.4 The sixth is that recorded in pyrography on the wooden ' royal calendar of Gcdcgbe '. Thirty-six of these lists from twenty-five sources followed the same order (A) which was clearly predominant. recorded at Ife in I965. but a different order (E) was found in the northeastern part of Yoruba territory and the possibility of other regional variations was suggested. The named orders which will be referred to here are shown below in Table I. Bulletinde 'InstitutFranfaisd'Afrique Noire.iv. 36-2I-IO8) recently published by Palau Marti. This list must be read from left to right. one given by Bastide for the Nago (Yoruba) of Brazil. 3. 'Les calendriers dahomeens '.TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION 408 evolved a logical structure for the relations between the oduthat is expressed through the mythology of the system. West African Religion. disregarding one obvious error.. In reading the excellent photograph of the copy of this calendar in the Musee de l'Homme (no. fig.2 two by $owande for the Yoruba3 and. I. Objetset Mondes. See this paper for bibliography of sources not cited in the footnotes here.London: The Epworth Press. and the Lucumi (Yoruba) of Cuba. 3/4 (I96I). pp.6 one must be aware that it is upside down. ODU IFA: THE NAMES OF THE SIGNS WILLIAM BASCOM IN a previous articleI the order in which the sixteen basic figures of Ifa (odu Ifa) are ranked was examined. p. 34. The question of errors is discussed later. ' Odu Ifa: The Order of the Figures of Ifa '. 2nd ed. Le Monde d'Outre-Mer Passe et Prdsent. as Maupoils notes. 217. 'Le Candomble de Bahia (Rite Nag6)'. the famed diviner of King Glele of Dahomey. I964). Their orders should be discussed before proceeding to the consideration of the names of the figures. Yaba: Forward Press. 5 Bernard Maupoil. Travauxet Admoiresde l'Institiu vol. 38. TABLE I A E F i i I 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 7 6 8 7 5 8 6 9 9 Io Io II 14 I4 I2 13 I3 13 12 II 14 II I5 15 i6 i6 i6 2 3 4 7 8 5 6 9 Io I2 L I M I 0 I S I T i 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 4 Io 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 8 9 9 Io I5 Io Io 9 9 IO 12 I3 I2 13 I2 I3 I3 13 14 I4 I4 I4 5 II I5 II II I5 1I 15 i6 i6 i6 3 2 2 7 4 8 6 3 13 8 I2 II 7 14 Io 12 I4 II I5 9 5 6 9 15 I2 I6 i6 I5 U I 2 4 7 I6 8 3 6 Six of these additional lists are identical with the dominant order (A). 196I. I (I964). Premiere Serie: Etude v. 'La Geomancie a l'ancienne C6te des Esclaves '. d'Ethnologie. Fourteen additional lists have subsequently been examined. 6 Montserrat Palau Marti. one given by Parrinder in I961 for the Yoruba at Ibadan. n. 4 Roger Bastide. Two of the additional lists. Armstrong. 6 Robert G. position for position. Two lists by Alapini for Dahomey in the same publication2 have the same order (M) as that given by Trautman. Mockler-Ferryman. 8 R. The BeninKingdom and the EdoNigeria. 1926. Religionin an African City. are examined. 2 Julien Alapini. Northern Nigeria'. Ist ed. 8 -82. F.). 43. I39. West African Religion. ii. their source is not indicated.409 variation. The Idoma system of divination.London: The Epworth Press. London: Oxford University Press. lxix. Journalof the African Society. London: George Philip & Son. Of the twenty-one listings that have been reported. Of the 86 lists. employs four strings of four pods each. EthnograSpeakingPeoplesof South-Western phic Survey of Africa. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. 256.7 as Ogwqga at Benin. regardless of order. p. London: Oxford University Press. but it is not clear whether ' position' refers to the rank order or to the figure itself. Vansina. .. PP. p. vol. regional and Omu. It is possible that the names have been rearranged to conform to this order. University of Edinburgh. 195 3. For order (F) a third instance of Clarke's' corrected ' list was inadvertently overlooked in the earlier article. With these additions. Clarke. but the evidence is still insufficient to consider either (F) or (M) as legitimate variants. The apparatus associated with Bradbury's three lists is not indicated. 956. 1958. p. Ilepa. 6 must be omitted because they give only the figures without the names. 55. 'The Use of Linguistic TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION and Ethnographic Data in the Study of Idoma and Yoruba History' in The Historianin TropicalAfrica (J. Amaury Talbot. The Influence Conof ConSocial Changeson the Magico-Religious temporary cepts and Organizationof the SouthernEwe-Speaking People of Ghana.8 and as Afa or Aha among the Ibo. I37. 69. 7 A. Armstrong. 68-69. it is only in these two by Parrinder and the one by Fiawoo that there is any discrepancy in the order of the first four figures. and in the single list available for Brazil. This order is found in 3 out of the 6o Yoruba lists. Les Noix Sacrees. but they seem to come from Herskovits who listed them in a different order (L). Fiawoo3 gives (S) for the Ewe of Ghana and there are two earlier lists published by Parrinder4for the Yoruba in 949 (T) and in I953 (U). 'Notes on the Igala Tribe. part 2 (I939). Thomas. R. L. p. Armstrong5 has recently reported that his list of sixteen figures from the Idoma turned out to be 'strictly cognate. Sidney Seton. as apparently was done with the FQn names. 'Ifa Divination '. known as Iba. 34-3 5* s Robert G. 59. This corresponds to a related system of divination widely practised in Nigeria and known as Agbigba or Agbagba among the Yoruba. who distinguish it from Ifa even though the names of many of the figures in the two systems are cognate. Up the Niger. pp. 9 P. giving a total of four lists from two sources. of London: Oxford University Press. eds. In the present article the variations in the i6 names and their association with the 16 figures. it has been reported in ten lists from seven sources for If?. Bradbury.9 The rank order of the I J. the Western Ibo. p. 4 Parrinder. part 13. ThePeoples Southern Nigeria. and the Igala. 3 Dzigbodi Kodzo Fiawoo. 4 of the i6 Dahomean lists.6 rather than a single string with eight pods as in Ifa. Mauny. 42 out of 86 or still almost half the lists follow the dominant order (A). pp. Journal of the Royal AnthropologicalInstitute. based on 3 out of 61 sources. E. I950. I964. R. I892.Monte-Carlo: Regain. D. Western Africa. but the Agbigba form of divination is known as Egbigba among the Igala. with the Yoruba list' and that Bradbury has collected strictly cognate lists from Benin. 5 of the 6 Cuban lists. I949. V. The three remaining orders differ from all eighteen orders previously published and can safely be disregarded. personal communication.xxix (I929-30). He lists the names and figures according to order (A). i of the 3 Ewe lists. 45. although it was undertakenas a simple but extensive survey to determinebasic ethnographicfacts. 187-8. soap (p. tones and equivalent (v) and. such as camwood or barwood (irosun). Spanish. 55. J. 82.ch for c which in some spellings replaces a or its equivalents (f or sh). Moreover. 34-35. 9 and o.9 for its . As Ifa divination has been reportedfor Benin and the Ibo. In order to render comparisonsless difficultand to simplify printing. while k is often writtenas c.while y is written as j or 11. is sometimes written as such. diacritical marks have been omitted except for the Yoruba e. but sometimesas gb or b. p. or they are based on similaritiesof the names to common words. A.and Germanwritershave followed differentorthographicconventions.2Clarke. op. arerecognizable beyond any reasonable doubt. The Yorubaj is variouslywritten as j. 'Yanrin Tite ati Owo 1rindilogun. S. I937. Ogunbiyi. which is actuallypronounced kp. 1952. Lagos: Ife-Olu Printing Works. where appropriate. cit.as will be shown later.making it impossibleto distinguishbetween? and e. Obvious errorsin the transcription or the printingof the namesof the figuresare also recognizable. personal communication. or even nd or nl. in of the variationsin the names are more apparentthan real. such as the one by Bastide mentioned above and two in Parrinder's 953 list. dz. Some English writers.410 TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION wickedness (ika). have been modifiedin both Cubaand Dahomey accordingto the phonetic patternsof Spanishand of FQn. Otherdifferences spellinghave been retained. at Isapaby Clarke. it is not certain that these names are Agbigba names except in the case of Armstrong's Idoma list and Boston'sIgalalist. As such. p.Some French writers use ou for w.4and those which I recordedfrom two Agbigba diviners. dj. which appearsin one of the verses for the figure Qycku-Edi. and y.What interpretations have been suggested are on the level of folk etymologies. Lagos: The Hope Rising Press. The Yoruba p. 2 Fagbenro Beyioku.In broaderperspective this may be the majorcontributionof this paper. in Cuba it sometimes becomes k or c. I940. 3 Clarke. Meek. one a Yagba Yoruba from Figbepractisingin Ab?okutaand the other an Igbira man practisingin If?. they are interesting for the light they throw on the question of ethnographicreliability. J. but they are consideredbelow along with Agbigba namesreported and by Beyioku. Law and Authority in a Nigerian Tribe. for one thing Many becauseall diacritical marksare omitted by some writersor their publishers. and s and s. The meaningsof the names of the sixteenprimaryfiguresof Ifa divination have never been determined. (Isapa column). London: Oxford University Press. pp. Ifa. including Wyndham. and in Cubaw is usuallygiven as gu.and among the Igala by Boston' differ markedlyfrom those for Ifa and from each other.such as the interpretation Qyckuas meaningQy9 dies (Qye of ku). and gb becomes b or gu. Nasalizationof vowels. and in Cuba it often becomes 11. and loss (ofun). dy. Agbigba.English. pp. which is indicated by various conventions in the sources consulted. K. 50.3 Ogunbiyi. 4 Thos. has been renderedaccording to customary Yorubausageby an n afterthe vowel. French. figures in Agbigba divination as recordedfrom an Igbira diviner at Ife by myself.r). Iwe Itan Ifa. 252. 9. 49. Errorsin the associationsof names and figures. Boston.have indicated the ? and the 9 as e and o followed by a double consonant. C. The names of the figures. pp.and other Yorubawords as well. and $ and differences in orthographyhave been reducedby substituting? for its equivalent(E). Ogbe-Sa (p. and Ewe that Ifa ' E.TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION 4II but differentpronunciationsare also apparentin these areasand in differentparts of Yoruba territory. mejiby by by Maupoilwithjimr as an inversion.I do not wish to imply that I uncriticallyaccept the legends of the Yoruba. We are not especiallyconcernedhere with the variationson the spelling of meji. although these are not Qyeku Meji. Skertchlyrefersto Ogbe Meji as the head mother. while the second figure. The l-r substitutionalso occurs occasionallyamong the Yoruba in Mqk9.medji Herskovits. 1923. Qyeku Meji. 72). In Lijadu'we can find this for all sixteennamesof the primary figuresas they occur in the second half of the following combinations:Idi-Gbe (p. Idoma. Insteadthey are usuallydesignatedby the nameof the primaryfigurefollowed by the word meji(two). Awulela.for Ogbe-Iwori. Eji oji orji in Dahomey and elli in Cuba. a diviner in MkQ9referredto all sixteen double figures in this fashion. Ifa: Im9l1Rp ti Ise Ipile Isin ni II Yoruba. 46). Ika-Yeku (p. Thus we have (I)mek9 and (I)saki as town names and (I)jqa and (I)jibu as names of Yoruba subgroups.andmelle. Exeter: James Townsend & Sons. Ogbe-Kanran (p.megiby Burton. Qbara-Rqte(p. In contrast to these combinations. The double Ogbe figure is also commonly known as Eji Ogbe (two Ogbe). Eji Ogbe or Ogbe Meji. Ogbe-w(o)-ehin. 30). In Cubait is given as meji. 55).and medji Alapini. 5z). giving Qbafa or 'King of Ifa ' [Qba-(I)fa]as one of the former's honorific names. Ogbe-Bara (p. 24). 56). Lijadu.Bertho.as the highest rankingof all 56 figures. By startingwith the Yoruba names as the basis for comparison.but it is not possible to considerhere the manywhich are used for the combinations.Trautman. Ogbe-Di (p.such as ' Ogbe look back '. as in Baba Eji Ogbe. . although he does give Alafyaas an alternativename for OturaMeji.and other Nigeriantowns along the Dahomeanborder. 1 is commonly substitutedfor r. 52). or Alafiawhich Maupoil gives for Ogbe Meji.The dropping of initial vowels is fairly widespreadamong the Yoruba. and the initial vowels are commonly elided in the second half of the names of Ifa figures which are combinations. 33). Frobenius. and this patternmay be applied to other figures as well. 45).Iwori-Iwori. M. 2I). Idi-$? (p.was spoken of as the 'head' (olori) by diviners at Modakekq and Ilesa. 5).Ilara. Some of the alternativenames for the sixteen double figures are included in the following discussion.In Dahomey. Ogbe-Guda (p. is given as EdjuandEdschu Frobenius. Ogbe-W9nrin(p. Neither apparently actually are Aluku Gbayi. was referredto as the 'junior sibling' (aburo).and Garnierand Fralon. These are cited only when substitutesin the combinationsseem to confirmalternative names mentionedfor the sixteen primaryfigures. and Ibo names. Ogbe-Ka (p.Quenum. Ogbe-Tura (p. Qy(ku-Qyqku. F9n. Qsa-Wori(p. 6I). but in If? it is regardedas the ' Father' (baba).andit often becomes by meje. and Burton says it is called 'Mother of all'. alternativenames such as are found for some figures.and it appears in some of the Igala. pages cited in parentheses above. 6i).and so on. 12). Q?-Rosu (p. and initial vowels are often dropped.but it is given as magi by Skertchly. In Cuba its name is often prefacedby 'Father' (baba). as in Ogbe Meji. and Ogbe-Fu (p. melli. and Iwori Meji. Ogbe-Turuppn(p.the sixteen principalodu are pairedor double figures which might be written Ogbe-Ogbe. 33). Maupoilspeaksof Ogbe Meji as the fatherand Ofun Meji as the mother. Yeku (p. Cuban sources give Ojqkuje. Monteil. Maupoil gives Gbe. Grandin gives it as Oyetin. Elleco. or by apparent typographical errors as in Bge. Yeku is given by Garnier and Fralon. without diacritical 2. and Yeku by Bertho. marks. Akwu is also given by Armstrong for the Idoma. and the Yagba Yoruba informant. and Osinka by the Igbira informant at Ife. I do so. Baba Ellionde. and Obe. For Dahomey. It is written as Ogge by F. explaining the latter as the reversal of the syllables of Mqji. Y9ku and Ji Qy9 are given by Maupoil. The listing below follows the dominant Ifa order (A) mentioned earlier. Bwe by Burton and Skertchly. For the Ewe. and Eghe. as Oyeku by Ataiyero and Ogunbiyi. This figure is given as Qyqku or Qyeku Meji or. Gbe is also given by Herskovits. Except for Ellis's Buru all these variants on Ogbe can be explained by differences in pronunciation and orthography. simply as a matter of convenience. gave this one as Ogbe. Cuban sources give Baba Eji Ogbe. of a very specific kind. Osika by Beyioku. Gbe. QyrkU (2222). and Bge by Garnier and Fralon. and Yeka by Fiawoo. with the exception of Grandin's Oyetin. as Oyeku or Oyeku Meji in most cases for the Yoruba. Trautman. both in their names and their rank order. than to those of the F9n. and Buru by Ellis. Eji Qy? is an alternative name. Qyqkun by Johnson. and Oyeku and Byeku by Parrinder. This is further evidence. Ako for Benin. Monteil. are recognizable as variants of Qy9ku. given by an Ife diviner and by Maupoil. Kpolidzogbe by Fiawoo.TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION divination originated in the Yoruba city of If9 and spread outwards from it. and Oy9ku by Ogunbiyi and the Igbira informant. Burton. Qyqkwu is given by Boston for the Igala. and Gbe-Jim?. This figure is given as Ogbe. Quenum. For Agbigba. . Bastide gives Ogbe for Brazil. or other African lists. Eji Qye is an alternative form and all others. and Yekou by Le Herisse. and Ollegun. Ebi by Bradbury and Boston for the Igala and by Armstrong for the Idoma. Ojako (p. and as Qgbe by Clarke (p.. and Le Herisse. Oji. or Eji Ogbe for the Yoruba in all but four cases. of the importance of the Yoruba influence in Havana and Bahia. Ewe. I9I) and Ojaku by Frobenius. Eyogbe by Grandin. who named thirteen of the sixteen figures. Quenum. Baba Ellionle. 245) but in only one of five lists. Qyeku is given by Beyioku. Ogbe Meji. and Akwu for the Western Ibo. Maupoil notes that it is also called Ogbe-Oji. Egbwe Ogue. and Trautman. Baba Llogbe. Ejeku. and Oji-nimon-Gbe by Nago (Yoruba) diviners in Dahomey. Gbe is given by Spieth. Jiogbe. Oyekun by Monteil. Clarke. For Agbigba there is an alternative name. 412 I. and Bradbury gives Aku for the Igala. 214) and Yqku by Herskovits. It is written Yekuro by Ellis. A Yagba Yoruba diviner practising at Abqokuta. It is given as Qyeku by Clarke for Ilgfa and by Bakare. For the FQn. Yeku by Spieth. S. Baba Yogbe. and Bastide gives Oye Ku for Brazil. and I speak of phonetic changes in ' Yoruba words ' in Dahomey. Gbe and DyQgbe by Bertho. and Skertchly. Oyekou by Alapini. Ogbe(ir i). Ogbe is given by Alapini. given as Osika by Clarke and Ogunbiyi. Ogbi is given by Bradbury for Benin and the Western Ibo. For the Ewe. But I do believe that the evidence presented in these two articles demonstrates that the Cuban and Brazilian lists are derived from those of the Yoruba because they are closer to them. Iroshun by Dennett.Mck9. i. and in Brazilas Iwori. ii.Irosu-Awoye and Qsagives Awoye. Clarke. Ode is given by Ellis. and F. Parrindergives Irosun. and Ogori by Beyioku. 191) and Ewori by Frobenius. or Odi by QSiga. Iwori was given by the Yagba Yoruba.n. Ode or Wudde by Burton. pp. (at end). Ogunbiyi. Clarke. Iroshun. and Modakqk?. An Qyo informantgave Ilosun Meji and a Mqko informantEji Olosun.and Trautman. by Epega. Di is given by Burton.and Woli by Maupoiland Monteil. and Orosu.and Oli by Herskovits and Quenum. Irosun (1122). Ellis. In Cuba it is given as Iguori. Ogunlqyq. and Odin Idi by Dennett.Idi is given by Beyioku in three other lists. and Iworo.Iwe Adura Mime ti Ijp QrunmilaAdulaw9 li Ede Ilf Yoruba. Iwori(2112). Ogunbiyi. 4. Monteil. A. Edi (1221).Adi by Grandin.Owori by Alapini.Bakare. and Oli by Fiawoo. Ibori. Holi by Trautman. . Ogi is given by Clarke.and Oji by Beyioku. Frobenius writes it Hosso.F. and Idi are all acceptablevariantsfor the Yoruba. Herskovits.Edi and Idi are given by Maupoilfor the Yoruba. and the Igbirainformant. with the common r-l shift. these being the only forms not readilyrecognizableas variantsof Iwori. Iroshu. Odi.Irosu is given by Epega in six lists (with Irosun in a seventh) and by Ogunbiyi. Skertchly. and Idi are each given in two or more sources. 3rd ed.Ogunbiyi. Monteil. Wyndham. and Urosi by Johnson. Woli is given by Spieth and by Garnier and Fralon. Edi and Odi aregiven by Bertho. than to the Ifa name. Mk9qinformantcalledit Iwoye. Maupoil gives Iwori and Iwoli as Yoruba forms.Ibadan. Irosun and Urosu are given by Ataiyero.In one instanceBeyioku gives Iroun.and was recordedfrom informants at Ara and Ife. For Dahomey. Oghoi is given by Bradburyfor Benin. and by informants at QyQ. Qsiga. Iwori or Holi by Bertho.Oji is given by Armstrong for the Idoma and by Boston for the Igala. QOiga.Odin by Alapini. Edi and Odi by Parrinder. These forms are closer to the Agbigba alternativename.Frobenius. and by a second informantat Ilara.. a misprintcorrectedfour pages laterand in three other publications. This figureis given as Irosun for the Yorubain most cases. It is given as IwQriin one instanceby Johnson. Edi is given by Ataiyero. as Evori (p. For Agbigba. and Q)iga Awoye as a substitutefor Iwori in two combinations. 5. Ogori. Odi. Odi is given by Beyioku in one list and by Abraham. O. For Agbigba. and my two informants.Johnson. Ogunlqy?. All of these are readily recognizablevariants. This figureis given as Iwori for the Yoruba with few variations.. Bradburygives Odi for the Igala. and by Armstrong for the Idoma. For the Ewe.Di is also given for the Ewe by Spieth and Fiawoo. Odi. the WesternIbo. and Irochum by Monteil. Lucas. and Edi by Garnierand Fralon.. and Odi or Di by Maupoil. and Ooe Magi Wudde by Skertchly. A and as Iwori and Ewere by Parrinder. Le Herisse. In Cuba Edi. Sowande.TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION 413 3. S. by Bradburyfor the Western Ibo. Ouoli is given by Le Herisse.and in Brazilit is given as Ode. and Iroshu is given by Lucas.and Edi.d. which Beyioku lists as the Agbigba name for this figure. Igbori.Ogoli is given by Boston and Bradbury for the Igala. and Benin..' For Dahomey it is written Avri by Grandin. Quenum. One Ilara informant gave Orosun. S. Edi. 414 TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION For Dahomey. For Agbigba. Qworin or Qwara by Abraham. Qga. loc. Monteil. Maupoil. Houlin by Trautman. and O Koni by Grandin. and Ulushu by Bradbury for the Western Ibo. Clarke. Abla is given by Burton. and Ogunbiyi. probably a misprint. Owurin by Monteil. Qgai and Qgali by Bradbury for the Western Ibo. Qwaran and Owaran by Johnson. For the Ewe Spieth and Fiawoo give Noli and Garnier and Fralon give Enloe. and Orosun by Beyioku. Qbara (1222). Oron by Ellis. and Quenum. ]3bara. than to Qwynrin and its variants. Ouenlen by Le Herisse. cit. Nwenle is given by Herskovits. 7. Aguani. without diacritical marks. and Urosi. Iwonlin. Eji tlerin is given as an alternative name by QOiga. all other forms being recognizable variants of Irosun with the possible exception of Grandin's Strossin. For Dahomey. (2211). but the last is clearly Dahomean. and except for Grandin's O Koni all of these forms may be related. and Oji Olosun as variants. and Henli by Quenum. with tFrin as a substitute for QwQnrin in the combination Ogunda-1rin. . Losso by Monteil and Trautman. Irosu. with Losun. Maupoil gives Loso. Losho by Ellis. Oloru is given by Boston and Bradbury for the Igala. Qwonrin and Qw9nri by Ataiyero and Epega. and Bastide gives Irosun for Brazil. This figure is given as Obara or Obara for the Yoruba in most cases. Maupoil gives Wenl?. Le Herisse. Owarin is given by Alapini. Opo Meji (two posts) was given as an alternative name by an informant at Modakeke. QwQnrin and IwQrin are given by QSiga. and Agbani. Uran by Burton. Luso by Fiawoo. Bara by Lucas and Johnson. 6. and Jwuoli (Iwuoli) by Frobenius. Owonrin. QwQnrin This figure is given as Qw9nrin or. Obara. the Yagba Yoruba gave both QwQnrin and Qga. OwQnrin.' and Elerin was recorded in If9 as a substitute in the combination Ofun-Elerin. IwQnrin by Ogunbiyi. as Owonrin by most Yoruba sources. Quenum. Qwara by Lucas. Owourin and Owonrin by Dennett. Typographical errors probably account for Hosso. and Strossin by Grandin. Maupoil gives Qwonlin. and Qwqnran by OdumQlayQ. Irosu by the Igbira informant. and in Brazil as Dwonrin. and Oghae by Bradbury for Benin. and Oji Wenle as Yoruba forms. and Iroso are used. In Cuba it is given as Oguani. and Logo by Garnier and Fralon. In Cuba. siga. Le Herisse. Olosun. and QwQrin were given by If9 informants. Loso is given by Herskovits. These forms are closer to the alternative Agbigba name. For Dahomey. Orossou by Alapini. Oballa by Frobenius. but phonetically QwQnrin is one of the most difficult names. Wenlen by Monteil. and Qga was given by the Igbira informant and by Beyioku. For Agbigba. Logo. Olo by Armstrong for the Idoma. Irosun. tgali is given by Boston and Bradbury for the Igala and by Armstrong for the Idoma. Iwonrin. and Ibara by an informant at Ileqa. For the Ewe Loso is given by Spieth. OwQri and Qwara by Parrinder. Qbara and Qbala by Maupoil. Uram by Skertchly. Luso. and Wonlin. There is wide variation here. and Bara are given by Parrinder. Oruhu by Bradbury for Benin. Qw9nrin. Oworin and Aworin by Wyndham. Wenle. Irosun is given by Clarke and Ogunbiyi. Ogouda by Alapini. Ogwutp is given by Boston and Ejita by Bradbury for the Igala. and Akla by Burton. and Ejita by Armstrong for the Idoma. and in Brazil it is given as Okaran. Obara by Alapini. Ogunta is given by Clarkeand my two informants. As substitutes for Ogunda in combinations. Grandin gives O Kouro. In Cuba it is called Ogunda. Abila by Ellis. and Qbara by Beyioku. This figureis most often given as Ogundafor the Yoruba. Qk9na by the Yagba Yoruba. all these forms are clearly related.. and Ogunda or Egitan by Ogunlqye. and Eguntan and Egunda by Epega.and QkQnrQn.Herskovits. Quenum.Ogunda and Oguda by Parrinder.and Oguda. and Ogude by Grandin. and Skertchly.and Eguntanby Odum9layQ.Qkanlan. For Dahomey. Qkaranby Ataiyero and one informantat Ilara. all of these are recognizablevariants.Oguda is given by Dennett. For Agbigba. Qbai by Bradbury the WesternIbo. For Dahomey. This is given as Qkanran or Okanran by most Yoruba sources. Qkanranand Okaranby Johnson. Abala is given by Herskovits. Guda and Gudgji are given by Maupoil. and Gouda by Le Herisse.TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION 415 and Skertchly. Orgunda. and Qkanran. For Agbigba. Obaraby the Igbira informant. Qbala is given by for for Boxton and Qbataby Bradbury the Igala. by Beyioku. Frobenius.and Oguda is given by Beyioku and Ogunbiyi.and Skertchlygives Unun as an alternativename. Okana.Quenum. and Okananby the Igbira informant. Ogunda and Qgunda are given Oguda and Eguda by Ataiyero.For the Ewe. Ogunda (IIr2).Qkgna is given by Boston and Qkaraby Bradburyfor the Igala. and Garnierand Fralon give Akla for the Ewe. Qkanranis given by Clarke and Ogunbiyi. Okannaby Frobenius. Guda is given by Spieth and Fiawoo. Qkanranby Alapini.Eguntan by Q?iga. 9. Otura) and Skertchly'sAkli. Eguntan or Egutan is an accepted alternativename. Egutan by Lijadu. and O Bara by Grandin. and Qvba by Bradburyfor Benin. and Bastidegives Oguda for Brazil. with Ogbara and Obari as variants. Monteil. QkQnrQn is given by Abrahamand Bakare.F. and more commonly as Ocana. In Cuba it is given as Okanlan.and Maupoil. and there are similar variationsin the spelling of the Yoruba word for ewe (aguntan.and Qtunwa by Maupoil. Akli by Skertchly. Bradburygives Eghita for 8. and Gouda by Garnierand Fralon.and Trautman. and Garnierand Fralon give Abla for the Ewe. Egunda Egutanis given by Wyndhamand an informantat Ilepa.and Qkanrgnby Epega. Eguntan and Egutan are given by OdumQlay9. Except for the two alternativenames. Akala is given by Ellis. for the Idoma. Qkla by Armstrongfor the Idoma.Kuda by Ellis. and Qkai by Bradburyfor the WesternIbo.and Trautman.and :lkran are given by Parrinder.With the exception of the alternativename.Qkaranor Qkara by Lucas. and Monteil. Spieth. and Aklan by Le Herisse. all of these are clearlyvariantson Ogunda. Qkanran. . Monteil. Eguda by Clarke. Akananby Herskovits. Okonron and Okouron are given by Dennett and Okuron by Monteil. Aklan and Qkanlan are given by Maupoil. Qbla by Armstrong Qkanran. by one Ife informant. and in Brazil it is given as Obara.Gudais given by Burton. Qkn9Q by Beyioku. Qka by Bradburyfor Benin. For Agbigba.Qkaran. Spieth. In Cubait is usually given as Obara. Qkanran(2221).Unun and Opo Meji.Except for Qtunwa (cf.agutan). Fiawoo. Clarke. S. Fiawoo. Qbaraand Obarawere given by the Yagba Yoruba. and my two informants. Ejite or Ejita appears to be an alternative name. and Trautman. QlQgbQn is given by OdumQlayQ and by informants at QyQ. For Dahomey. and by Bradbury for Benin. Le Herisse. Clarke. and I Ku by Grandin. Oturupgn and Otrukpan are given by Parrinder. Ika (2122). and Faa as Yoruba forms. Monteil. than to the Agbigba alternative. For Agbigba. All of these are clearly variants on a single form. 1ka is given by Boston and Bradbury for the Igala. with Lelo as an alternative name. Iji Qka. with L?lo. and IturupQn by an informant at Ibadan. Herskovits. Eka by Frobenius. and Ika by Parrinder and by informants at Ife and Ilesa. Osa is given by Alapini. and Qsa by Beyioku. For the Ewe. Qsa and Osa are given by Clarke. Maupoil. Herskovits. Ba is given by Skertchly and Ta by Quenum. For Dahomey. i i. and informants at Ara and Ilara. and in Brazil as Ika. OturupPn (2122). and BokQnon L?lo (Diviner Lqlo) as alternatives. Skertchly. In Cuba and in Brazil. Monteil. For Dahomey.416 TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION Benin and both Ejite and Ogbute for the Western Ibo. with Ika as an accepted variant. Ka is given by Burton. and Garnier and Fralon give Ka for the Ewe. Johnson. If?. Oyinkan is given by Beyioku. Oyinkan. Ellis. Ica. Armstrong Qla for the Idoma. Iwori-Qka. Ologbon is given by Wyndham. both probably due to typographical errors. Except for Faa and I Ku. In Cuba it is given as Ika. Ellis. Clarke. and Ql1gbQn Meji and GbQmQpQn are given by Q(iga as an alternative name for OturupQnMeji. and Modakeke. and Trautman. and Oturuqua by Frobenius. and Ca. Osa is given by all available sources. Qsa (2111). Toulouk- . 1]ka is substituted for Ika in combinations such as Iwori-]ka by Epega. Ika or Itka. Osu by Grandin. Oturup9n and IturupQn by informants at Ilara. and Ara. Maupoil. If?. These forms are closer to the Ifa name. Osa by the Yagba Yoruba. Oka is given by Alapini. This figure is given as Qsa or Osa by most Yoruba sources. Ekka is given by Wyndham. Eka and Ika by Clarke. and informants gave Osa in Modakckq and Q(a in Ara. Qka. Quenum. Troukpin by Quenum. This figure is usually given as OturupQn or Oturupon for the Yoruba. Spieth. Awonon L?lo. Le Herisse. and Esa by Fiawoo and Garnier and Fralon. Troukpen by Le Herisse. EturapQn by Clarke. and Sa by Burton. Ika is given by most Yoruba sources. and Ogunbiyi. and Boston and Bradbury give Qra for the Igala. and Lijadu substitutes Qka in the same combination. Bradbury gives Aka for the Western Ibo. Oturapyn and Oturupgn by Epega. Ogunbiyi. Oturupgn and EturupQn are given by Ataiyero. these are all variants on a single form. Odum9layQ. 12. and it is identified as an alternative name by Ogunlcy9 and by informants at Ibadan. Qtulukpon by Maupoil. o1. Osa and Oha were given by the Igbira informant. are given by Herskovits. Maupoil gives Turupen or Turukpon. Bradbury gives Qha for Benin and Qsha for the Western Ibo. Otouroukpon by Alapini. EturupQn by an informant at Ileqa. by Armstrong for the Idoma. Sa is given by Spieth. Fiawoo. Lelo Jime (another inversion of meji). tIka is given by Ataiyero. but Eturup9n is an accepted variant and Qlgbgn is an alternative name. Ossa by Wyndham. Ilesa. For Agbigba. Maupoil gives Ika. Trukpcn and Trukpen. For Agbigba.Atunukpa is given by Boston and Bradbury the Igala. Otura is given by most Yoruba sources. Herskovits. Again these forms are closer to the Ifa name than to the Agbigba alternative.and the two alternativenames.Oturawunby Odum9lay9.and Obul by Grandin.Q?iga gives Eji Fllmere as an alternative name. 13. Iseba is given by Grandin. and Garnierand Fralon. but all forms are clearly cognates except for Grandin's Obul. and Qkanran-At?.and Qta by Ogunbiyi. Qturaby Beyioku.Qtaru and Otaru by the YagbaYoruba. Except for Maupoil'salternative names. Otura is given by Grandin. Oturais given by Beyioku. This figure is given as Irct? and Irete for the Yoruba in most cases.e.Ifrt? by Johnson. but Etura and perhaps I4. For Dahomey.Oture by Lucas. Erette by Wyndham.Monteil. For Dahomey. p. . Ret?. Tukpe by Fiawoo. Eturah by Wyndham. Otre and Otle by Armstrong for the Idoma. all these are readilyrecognizableas variants. Ql1gbQnand L?lo.For the Ewe it is given as Trukpe by Spieth.Otuwa by Abraham.Qtaru. and Lelu by Garnierand Fralon. Irosu-At?. In Cubait is Irete. Otuwa or Qtunwa and Qturaappearto be acceptedvariants. Ate is given by Epega and Lijadu as a substitute for Irete in such combinations as Ogbe-Ate. Otrupan.Le Herisse. for and Bradburygives Atokpa for the Western Ibo and 1rhoxwa for Benin.Leteis given by Burton. and Bradburygives Etule for the Western Ibo and Etur9 for Benin. and for Brazil Bastide gives Oturuson.It is given as Irete and 1rett by Parrinder.Irete by Alapini. Otura (1211). and Rete. and most commonly Etura. ]lflmqre or I Qsiga. Otrupon. Qtura. Otura and Oture by Parrinder. Spieth. i. and Qt1le by informantsat MekQand Ilara. and Ireke by Monteil.TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION 417 pin by Trautman. and Garnierand Fralon give Tula for the Ewe. lret? (1121). and the Igbirainformant.Otula is given by Boston and Bradburyfor the Igala. Eturuco. which was given by informants as Iler? Meji at Ilara and Eji 1l1re at MqkQ.1 Trautmannames Elemere as one of the parentsof this figure.and Eture by Johnson. Otua.and Ilara. Tumpwu by Skertchly. Otoura by Alapini. op. and Etura by informantsat Ibadan.Tula is given by Burton. Qtaru is given by Beyioku. Durapin by Ellis. and in Brazilit is Irete. Fiawoo. Qturaand Oturaaregiven by Qsiga. Monteil.Lete is also give for the Ewe by Spieth. Otaru by Clarke. Turupwen by Burton. and Skertchly.and Trautman. Etura is also given by Ataiyero and Clarke. Lcte by Maupoil. Irete.Jlette (Ilette) by Frobenius. and Ture by Ellis. Maupoil gives Tula with Qtula. Q(iga's GbQgmgpn. For Agbigba. OturupQnis also phonetically difficult and there are some apparent misprints. In Cuba it is given as Oturupon.Quenum.. Ogunbiyi.Quenum. Otua by Frobenius and an QyQinformant.Skertchly. and Trautman. Maupoil also gives Oji-lct? (i. Eji Irt?e) and Qli Ate.Both Oturaand Etura were given by informantsat Ife.Otarunby the Igbirainformant.and Turu is given by Clarke. Iwori-At?.Itrukpa by Armstrongfor the Idoma. Qturaand Qtunwa by Maupoil. Fiawoo. and Qtunwa as variants and Alafya or KalafyaAlafyaas alternativenames. and Etrukg. Trupen by Monteil. cit.and Toula is given by Le Herisse. and Lcte by Herskovits. and in Brazilit is Otura.Ilepa. In Cubait is Otura. Idoma. with Qrangun as an alternativename. and Ofu. and Maupoil's Qlongun and Langun as variants. Ch? by Herskovits and Maupoil. cit.Maupoilgives Oji Ofun. p. Tsie by Fiawoo. and Ofu by Dennett. Offunis given by Wyndham. Qrangun Meji and Afin Meji are given as alternativenames for Ofun Meji by Q)iga. all these are clearlyvariants. Ose is given by Grandin.Qkin. Qrangun is an alternativename with the Yoruba Qr9gun. Fun. and in Brazil as Ofu. Qse and Oshe by Parrinder.and Afin appearsto be another alternativename. Quenum.O? by Clarke. Again these forms are closer to the Ifa name than to the Agbigba alternative.op.Ofun and Ofu by Ataiyeroand Johnson. both Oche and Qkin were given by the Igbira informant.Qse by Abrahamand Lucas. For Dahomey. thereis a remarkable consistencyin the associationbetween the I QOiga. and all others except Grandin'sIseba are derivativesof a single form. and Skertchly.and Fou by Le Herisse. and Garnier and Fralonfor the Ewe.Ogunbiyi. and Tche by Garnierand Fralon. and Che by Burton.and Qry-(o)gun d(i)-ehin lkun at Ibadan. Frobenius.Shi is given by Ellis. Except for Maupoil's QlQgbon (cf.Except for the two alternativenames.andmy two informants. This figure is given as Q)q or without diacritical marks as Ose or Oshe in most Yoruba sources. In Cubait is known as Ofun. Clarke. All Cuban sources give Oche. For Agbigba.and BabaAragun (Father Aragun). and Trautman. and Skertchly for Dahomey. Irate is given by Beyioku. Ofon by Grandin. For Agbigba. For and Tche by Le Herisse. Ofun is given for the Yoruba in nearly all cases. Bakere.Fu is given by Burton. Despite these variations in the spelling of names and in the differentorders in which they are listed.Wyndham. Ellis.Monteil.and Trautman.Okin by Clarke. all OturupQn). and by Bradburyfor the WesternIbo. as is Oni Badanby Q)iga. Ogunbiyi.Qleteis given by Bostonfor the Igalaand Ete for the Igala. Herskovits. the CubanAragun. Och? is given by Boston for the Igala. Quenum. Sowande. Tse is given by Spieth. Langun.Epega. 16. i. Clarke. and the Yagba Yoruba. Qf (1212). and by Spieth. Bradburygives Ohu for Benin.Fu. who uses Afin as a substitutefor Ofun in the combinationIrosu-Afin. with Qlongun. Oche by Bradburyfor the Igala and by Armstrong for the Idoma.and by informantsat Ara and If?. and Benin by Bradburyand Armstrong. by Armstrong for the Idoma. Otherinformantsgave QrangunI3kunat Ileqa. Otche by Alapini. Ofun (2121). Ogunbiyi. the Ewe.Ofun is given by Beyioku. and Bastidegives Ose for Brazil.and Qkin by Beyioku. Both Q)e and Qse are given by Johnson and QOiga. For Dahomey. other forms are readilyrecognizableas modificationsof Ofun. . Aragun. and Ose by Bradburyfor the WesternIbo and Benin.Ofoun is given by Alapini. and Monteil.QrQgun at Ilara. 15. Agba Meji is given as an alternativename for the primaryfigure by Epega.WesternIbo.. Fiawoo.Qche and Oji Qche by Maupoil. and the Igbirainformant. Ofu is given by Boston and Bradburyfor the Igala. For Agbigba. Lucas.IQrangun or Orangunis also given as an alternativename by Ataiyero. and QlQgbonas alternatives.4I8 TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION 13lre and Ate are probablyalternativenames. and Oche by Monteil. Monteil. giving the figure i i i for both Ogbe and Qyeku while omitting the figure 2222 (Qyqku). only forty-eight errors have been found. fact. ratherthan that a variantpatternexists in Dahomey. and for Brazil one list by Bastide. Some of the lists give only the names and some record only the diagramsof the figures. Oturuppn (2212) and Otura (I2II). Grandinhas six errors.Herskovits.There are no errorsin the two lists of Alapini.or in Bertho's very incomplete list. Grandin.Le Herisse. Quenum.Maupoil.and one informant each from Ara.while omitting I222 and correctlyfor Ika but incorrectlyfor OturupQn and these two errorsare repeatedin another edition of the same publication 2212.and none in the four Cubansources. but the Ifa names and figures are both given in fifty-threeof the lists available. Bakare makes four errors.again reversing Ogbe and Qycku. and give Iwori (2II2) as Edi. In addition. (122I) and 1121). giving i i I for both Ogbe and Qycku. three by Beyioku. is in two of Skertchly's the figures for Ogbe and Qyeku. and Trautman.listing 2121 three times. graphical.listing the figure (2212) for Iwori and Oturuppn.but he reversesthe figuresfor Ika (2122) and Oturupgn and for Q(? (I212) and Ofun (2121). giving the figure I122 and Q)? (I212). once correctly for Q?e but incorrectlya second time for Iwori. and Qbara. For the Yoruba we have thirty-threelists with seven by Epega. $owande. Lucas. one each by Abraham. Maupoil. Qbara (1222) and Ogunda (1112). Odumglay9. Monteil gives Edi (I22I) as Iwori. Ogunley?. The exceptions can be taken with complete assuranceto be errors.per cent. Qkanran (222i) and Qsa (2III). correctlyfor Ofun but incorrectly the figure 1122 (Irosun)incorrectlytwice for Edi and Irqt?. listing the figure 2122 three times. There are no errorsin the two lists for the Ewe of Togo and Ghana. F.TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION 4I9 figures and the names.Bastide makes one error.For Dahomey we have thirteenlists with two by Alapini and one each from Burton.including an incomplete list by Bertho from which all but four nameswere omitted. Monteil and Le Herisse each have twelve errors out of the sixteen figures. Clarke. For the Yoruba. Ilara. with two sources accounting for more than half. In these fifty-threeIfa lists. or only 25 per cent. Ika (2122) and Iretq(II2I). this suggests that Monteil followed Le Herisse'slist. Lucas repeatsthe error of Burton and Ellis. or about 6 per cent. for Cuba the list of one informantand three manuscripts.Each separatelisting is a possible source of errors. Ataiyero.. making a total of seven errorsin thirty-threeYorubalists with 528 associations. and Le Herisse omits figure I221 but gives 1212 twice.For Brazil. and as they are not confirmedby other Dahomeansources.Ellis. Q(iga. in four errors. Wyndham. and he reverses Qbara (I222) Quenumalso has four errors. and Trautman. Of these. in which there are 836 associations of names with figures. or about i . Ogunbiyi.he also reverses The only confirmation.Monteil. Skertchly. . which may be typo2122.Ife. forty errors are found in the Dahomean listings.and Ilepa.giving the name of Edi as Irosun and of OturupQn(2212) as Ika. S. three by Parrinder. correct. and omitting three figures (2II2. two by Bakare. Both Burton and Ellis make the same error.two by Frobenius(the names in a third being illegible). Eleven of these twelve errorsare identical. Parrinder(I953) repeatstwo common Dahomeanerrors. For the Ewe we have two lists by Spiethand by Garnierand Fralon.the lists of Herskovits. Ibadan. Both reverse Ogbe (IIII) and Qyeku (2222). 2. only three or 20 per cent. 0000. and Ijite (3:4. 5:4. and Egale (4:4. OXOX. 4: I) corresponding to Bradbury's Ose. OOXO. Shelton. OOOX. 15. . I seriously question his description of the method. 15:4) corresponds to Bradbury's Qbai and the Ifa name Qbara. 6:4) corresponding to Bradbury's Ete and Irct? in Ifa. 1441-55. 6:2) corresponding to Bradbury's Ogbut? and Ejite. all attributed to one source. XOXO. XOOO. there are twelve errors in an article. In all there are twelve errors. 9.' He uses C to indicate the ' closed' and O to indicate the ' open' position of seeds in the divining chains. but if this is disregarded the names of the figures represented in the columns can be identified. OXXO. 13. then the rows are read from top to bottom starting at the left side and then from bottom to top starting at the right. Finally 1212 and 2121 are reversed with Ose (I:3. OXOX. Boston. 6. o1. i the four columns are equivalent to Ogbe. He regards the names of the figures as a secret language giving the meaning of the divination. It is not clear what Shelton means by restricting his 'meanings' (i. 5:2) corresponding to Bradbury's Etule and Otura in Ifa. XOOX. XOXO. lxvii. OXOO. 'Gwute. x6. unless one reads all the figures from the bottom up.e. once correctly for Irosun but incorrectly the second time for Qq?. Ofun. 3. which has just reached my desk. 8. and Bradbury. corresponding to Bradbury's Akwu. 5. in Cast no. while omitting the figure 1212. Iwori. and Uhu (3:2. or in the five lists with eighty associations recorded by Armstrong. Despite the author's statement that he is an initiated afa-caster. 2112 is given in : 2 and 6: 3 as Ogoli and 'Goli. 0000. and again in 5:3 as Obi and Ebi. names of the figures) to line ' a ' in each cast. whereas Qkara (I5:I) corresponds to Bradbury's Qkai and the Ifa name Qkanran. as Uhu (2:3) corresponds to Bradbury's Ulushu. for example. 14. Agbigba) divination among the Northern Nsukka Ibo by Shelton. 0000. 26:2. and he reads the strings from left to right. 0000. on Afa (i. with Ogute. and Ogunda. or about 7-7 per cent. 1222 and 2221 are also reversed as Qbara (3: I. 2:4. which corresponds to Bradbury's Ogbi and the Ifa name Ogbe. equivalent to the numbers 2 and i respectively in the notation used above and to X and O in Armstrong's article reporting Bradbury's findings among the western Ibo. and with Ete (2: 2. corresponding to Bradbury's Ogoli. American Anthropologist. and with Qha (i :4) corresponding to Qsha. 1112 and 2111 are reversed.e. 26:4) corresponds to Bradbury's Qgali or Qgai. Again 1211 and 121 are reversed with Oture (2: . the columns are read from right to left and then read upside down from left to right. There are no errors in the two lists of Agbigba names with thirty-two associations given by Beyioku and Ogunbiyi (Clarke gives only the names). 4. However. 2122 and 2212 are reversed. 6 (I965). Thus the figures for Shelton's Cast no. According to my informants on Agbigba. The names for I22 and 2211 are reversed. in the two lists with twenty-nine associations by my two Agbigba informants. and only from left to right. 3:3. 1221 is not represented and hence not named.420 TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION twice. and Eturukpa (I 5: 2) to Bradbury's Atokpa and to OturupQn in Ifa. for I 56 associations in the ten Agbigba lists. On this basis the names of fifteen of the sixteen figures can be identified and compared with Bradbury's names for the Western Ibo. 'The Meaning and Method of Afa Divination among the Northern Nsukka Ibo'. xI. are correct. 4:2. The relatively small proportion of errors for most observers supports the suggesAustin J. 12. 15: 3) corresponding to Bradbury's Aka and to Ika in Ifa. OXXO. i. 7. The figure I i i (0000) is given in Cast no. XOOX. 4:3. 26:3) to Ofu. I would read: I. column i. 2222 (CCCC) is given in 6: I and 26: i as Akwo and Akwu. with Eka (5:I. and to repeatingthe mistakesof earlierinvestigators. II.). It canbe takenas establishedthat the sameIfa figuresare known by the samenames throughout Yoruba country.but errorson the part of the investigatoris another. and myself.colonial officials. Le Herisse ( 2). these are completely differentboth in their names and in their order. cent. Grandin (6).it is not difficultto distinguishreliablefrom unreliable reporting. we still have 46 Ifa lists with 734 associations. This material has been gathered over a period of years in a strip of country in Western Nigeria about twenty-five miles wide.including Bakare(4 in two lists) for the Yoruba.).). anthropologists. two for Dahomey out of 116 associations (I 7 per cent. includingexplorers. Quenum (4).Many of the mistakes appear to be due to carelessness investigationand note taking.Eliminatingonly those authorswho made four or more errors.and Africans.missionaries. the Ewe in Togo and Ghana. and Bradbury(o per cent. as far as possible. it was felt.the recitalsoutside those of the sixteen Principal Odu. Boston. none for the Ewe out of 32 associations(o per Skertchly (4). this study provides an unusual test of ethnographicreliability.and only six errors in all (0o8per cent.or to their informants. This leaves one error for Brazil out of 16 associations(6 per cent.But whether the errorsare due to the variety of observerswho have written on Ifa. three for the Yoruba out of 496 associations(o. or to their deliberateattemptsto conceal the truth. indicating a separate historicaldevelopmentif not separateorigins. although sixteen similar figures are used in the Sikidy divination of Malagasy and in the Islamic sand divination of West and North Africa.).Regionalvariationsin the orderof the sixteenfigureshas been suggestedas one possible alternative. and none for Cubaout of 64 associations(o per cent. along a line to the east of QyQ and Oshogbo to Ikirun and Okuku. The area was chosen purposely to exclude.). the growing adulterationof the cult would tend to be would be likely to have debauched greatestand where corruptionand commercialism the system to the greatest extent. sophisticated districts where.and among the Afro-Americansin Cuba and Brazil.TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION 421 tion that variationsin the rank order of the sixteen figures are not due to errors or ignorance on the part of the diviners. and by Armstrong. Idoma. M.to uncorrectedtypographiin cal errors.).Armstrong considers the names of the figures recordedat Benin and among the Igala. for Ibo Agbigba.Grandin'srenderings of the names are especiallyinaccurate.). Since we can be positive in our identificationof the errorscited above. and Shelton . has yielded interesting informationabout the complex arrangementof the whole system not discerniblefrom a study of the single Odu. and WesternIbo to be cognatealso. stretching northwardsfrom a few miles south of Iwo. McCLELLAND THEcollection of materialfrom each of the QmQ-Odu. In contrast. Nor arethereany errors in nine additionalAgbigba and/orIfa lists with I4I associationsrecordedby Beyioku. Ogunbiyi. and Monteil (I2) for the FQn. and with some modificationsin pronunciationand spelling among the FQnin Dahomey.6 per cent. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF NUMBER IN THE ODU OF IFA E. would have had a long and careful training when the status of the cult was very high indeed. either as regards the place of each Odu in the list or the figure. With these precautions. that is. (top I. . however tenuous. and he makes Ircte immediately precede Otua in the eleventh place instead of following him at fourteenth. D. He maintains that there is an appropriate order in the way in which the patterns fall with regard to the number of concave nuts. The Qm9-Iloffu lists recognise this sequence whereas Dennett's list upsets it by placing 7 before 5.2 J. It differs in two respects from the one above. that in his corrected list he has restored the right order. Wherever any conscious manipulation of facts or methods was even suspected.422 TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION In order that the material should be as trustworthy as possible. in their youth. respectively. 5. Clarke. Qw9nrin Meji Bottom two nuts concave 7. who collected his information in Western Nigeria. associated with him. Irosun Meji Top two nuts concave 6. 7. 235-56. Irete Meji Top two nuts and bottom nut concave I5. . gave what he calls a' corrected ' list. Since the whole arrangement of the 2 56 Odu and QmQ-Odu is seen to depend on the order in which the names of the Odu appear. Difficulties springing from normal failures of memory were largely overcome by the careful collating of several accounts on the same theme. Oturupon Meji Lower middle nut concave 13. the material so gained was not accepted. Qyeku Meji No nuts concave Middle two nuts concave 3. were all Babalawo well advanced in years who. they had no connexion. Qsa Meji Bottom three nuts concave II. top 3) is a proper sequence. . the result of the retention of 2 palm nuts in the left hand. with Christianity. that ' 5. that is the characteristic pattern. a list was first compiled of the order given as correct throughout the area selected. 2 See Nigerian Studies. twenty-two in all. 19Io.QbaraMeji Top nut concave 8. There proved to be no variation in this. 3 See'Ifa Divination'. Ejiogbe All nuts concave' 2. they were men and women who had had no education in the European sense of the word. Iwori Meji Odi Meji Outer two nuts concave 4. QkanranMeji Bottom nut concave 9. enough data have been collected to show a calculated mathematical framework.'3 The I A nut concave side up is equivalent to i mark on the Ifa board. on the strength of what he considered to be ' a logical arrangement of symbols ' in the figures themselves. Ogunda Meji Top three nuts concave IO. top 2. lxix (I939). certain limiting factors were imposed on the collection. Ofun Meji Upper middle nut and bottom nut concave Name of Odu This list agrees with that of Dennett. after a careful comparison between his own and other lists. however. His figureas the Opelf showsit I. The informants used. . instead of seventh and eighth. The place order is given below. Journalofthe RoyalAnthropologicalInst. 9. Ika Meji Upper middle nut concave 12. In it Qbara and Qkanran are placed fifth and sixth. Otua Meji Top nut and bottom two nuts concave 14. Qse Meji Top nut and lower middle nut concave I6. all divine and all representingparts of the heavens. from an enormous egg. nature.P. the figure three has no significancein Ifa.' There is. Ellis.and so on.the supremebeing. It is by no means easy to arrive at a clear conception from the complex and mystifyingstoriesthat overwhelmthe inquirer. Faith.M. system mathematically The fact that the Odu are regardedas both personagesof importanceand also as groups of verses. A.and function of the Odu. His name is given as For instance: Yoruba SpeakingPeoplesof the Slave Coast of W. The History of the Yorubas. the story runs like this. is said to have been the son of a Boa called Ere who hatchedhim. S.S. others from the Sudan.It will be noted that the lists examined arranged by Clarkewere compiledeitherin the IlQrinareaor in Dahomey. he was assistedby Ajagunmanle. Dennett.Any discussionof the variousversions is beyond the scope of this article.and. But and His characteristics his origin vary considerably. 2 For the consideration of the derivations of Olodumare.This explainswhy he bears his name. The list given hereis convincinglysupportedby two things: firstby the underlying myth which accountsfor the existenceand the dual natureof the Odu.S. Pieced together. 'heads'.J. Idowu. connected with certain constellationsand also endowed with the wisdom of the gods. a representative It is roundthis mysteriousfigurethatall the varyingaccretionsof storyhaveclustered. Fancies and Fetish. together.. Moreover. There are many good accounts.I96x.G. see Olodumari: God in Yoruba Belief. Olumide Lucas. or chaptershas its importancein this dual conception runningthrough the whole. a feature on which ever. Farrow. It is such an integral part of the that it gives a consistentinternallogic. whoever he was. having travelledthere from 'the cradle of man' stated to be 'near the River Siminin'. among them Aranisan. C.P. they evolved a way by which wisdom could be spreadthroughoutthis new environmust inherit wisdom and teach it. It is not impossible that the recitalsthere may also differin number. Bascom. Man. There is great diversityin the accounts of the origin. When Qrunmilawas sent by Olodumareto make a new world and set newly createdman the on it.C. and sixteen helpers.K.it was assertedthat the order depends on the time factor of the arrivalof each Odu in Ile Ifs. statedcategorically in pairsin forwardand reverseorder. 1962.TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION 423 is temptingenough but it does not agree with the facts as they are revealedby theory a study of the recitalsattributedto the Odu involved. D. I9Io.consultedspecifically this point. West African Religion. trustedcourierof Aranisan.In the areaunderdiscussionhere. W. it is a contractionof olodo (owner of the pot) pmp-ere (son of Ere).if so the over-allarrangement could be adjustedto be acceptable.as will be shown. on that all things were Babalawo. the concept of duality. in the beginning of the world. In the areachosen as a randomsamplefor investigation. 'Ifa Divination'. If this were to be possible. I894. B. Johnson. Parrinder. F.C. sturdy as a great water pot (odu). 1921.others from an unspecifiedsea-shorewhere he learntit from ESu. Africa. Routledge. I948. F . Nigerian Studies. R. howcommon to them that concerns us here. 1942. The Religion of the Yorubas.the chief of all wisdom.K. the first is said to have arrivedmysteriouslyat Ile-Ifq. he lived and taught in Ile-If? having brought the system with him-some said from Abyssinia. S. In the districtvisited he is believed to have been the son of Qrunmin and the one-breasted1Flaand to have been of divine origin. 1926. ment.2 In due course others came into being in the same way. Olodumare.. one characteristic the whole system is based. S. and secondly of by the numberand arrangement the 240 QmQ-Odu.it is more important to regard the Odu as arrangedin pairs.. if there is one palm nut retained in the left hand and a single mark equivalent to a concave nut if two are left. J. equivalent to a convex nut. The original sixteen are stated to be of divine origin and to be the earthly counterparts of heavenly beings. She was forbidden to practise it. a pair on earth and a pair in heaven. it is thrown so that it must fall in two parallel groups of four. On the death of her husband she went to Qta and became the head of a powerful witches' cult. They were all of noble family and curious circumstances attended their birth. then. as yet. The Qp1le has eight half-nuts. They bear two possible interpretations. came to Ile-Ifq in a definite order. . It was given to the writer with much misgiving and only after the eating of salt and copious libations of oil poured on the earth with prayer. an essential qualification. or concave. Of these four there are two possible interpretations-they may fall either with the outer. The son of such parents inspired dread and could not be wholly disregarded. Old Qy9 is not included. The number 4096. a seventeenth claimant who was not acceptable as he was not a twin. a double mark. consulted Ifa through the Alado of Ado. Similarly. became the first in rank and importance. ' The Sanctions of Ifa Divination' and T. side uppermost or with the inner.2 It is necessary to point out this recurrence of 2 and its degrees. or was mysteriously translated to heaven-both stories are current -he had taught and initiated sixteen beings who had presented themselves at Ile-Ifq to learn the system. even though he was the son of E?u himself by QSun.' An appendix has been provided giving some facts about their parentage and some alleged characteristics. This paste is still used in the initiation of a Babalawo. He was told that misfortune would continue till he accepted Ifa. R. is also significant. YorubaOraclesand their Modesof Divination. 1941. side turned up. a Nupe woman. The association of the Odu with their towns of origin is very strong. when she married Onigbogi's father.. son of Qrunmila and Q?un. The vital importance of a dual birth is to be seen in the position of Qs(tua. According to Johnson (I921). and marks or finger-prints will be made on the board arranged in two parallel lines. A. He and his Chiefs were initiated. The procedure is too well known to need elaboration here. While they lived in Ile-If9 they taught and initiated thousands of pupils but these were never called Odu-always Babalawo. Ejiogbe. All these I Surprisingly. the sixteen palm nuts used in finger-printing will be manipulated eight times. Each stands for four entities. The twins. Bascom. Ogunbiyi. Ifa had been brought to the town by Arugba Ifa. herself a powerful witch and mother of Ejiogbe. The number of possible arrangements of Odu is 256.424 TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION Agbaniregun. Ifa was accepted in the town during the reign of Alafin Ofinran. or convex. though a white cloth has been substituted for a giant egg. Before he died. a famous Babalawo. He was attached to Agbaniregun and acted as a special courier from earth to Ifa in heaven. 2 Good accounts are given by W. Each was a twin. He is thought to have learnt the system from Ifa himself who taught him how to finger-print by sending down from heaven a copy of all the Odu figures printed on a huge eggshell with a mixture of pounded camwood and wet chalk. troubled by disasters including a great fire and an epidemic of smallpox. He has a recital though it is not formally acknowledged and never chanted out loud. constantly mentioned but not. The objects used as ' messengers ' by the clients to convey their questions are used two at a time and hidden in two hands. convincingly explained. The paraphernalia of their art reflects the duality inherent in the system. who. negative or affirmative. Journalof the Royal Anthropological Inst. after each 'racking'. Odu 3 will follow suit and make I3 visits. Thus. and there will be 26 recitals. Ejiogbe visits Qyeku and the recital is under their combined names-Ogbe 'Ycku. is visited in return 5 times and there will be 30 recitals. One referredto the visits as times when one Odu 'escorted' another (ti sin). But there was no doubt or variation on the form of the arrangement. in descendingorder.The movement was understood. of Even more strikingis the arrangement the 240 QmQ-Odu. The sum of the whole is 240.in others. for instance. The table illustratesthe progression. Iwori. the Conqueror. which.a statelychoreographic movement of which the basic featuresare a constantpairingoff. Agba Adanuni).N. in his capacityas a monarch. and there will be 28 recitals.This is in fact so. He passes through his own realm. be visited 13 times. it gives a certainamount of intellectualsatisfaction. etc.They are set under the names of two Odu in each case. He joins his host in servicesand consultationsand feastingsfor a short time. When this pair of visits has been concluded. receive 14 return visits. Ejiogbe works his way like this through the whole list and so makes I 5 visits. Conceiving them first as personages and referringto the supporting myth.the secondOdu will begin the sameprocess with the next Odu.from 30 to o. sacrifices The return visits are seen as necessary.g.B. His journeytakes sixteen days. the Babalawocould give no idea of the underlyingpattern. It is true that. thus. roads.TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION numbers represent the scale of two and may be written z2-Z3-24-28-2z2. The numberof recitalsis. Whenthis partof the cycleis completed. until Ofun is reached. Ogbe will visit the thirdOdu on the list. the motif was perceivedbut there was confusion as to why the QmQ-Oduwere arrangedin this way. Following the sameroutinehe will make 14 visits. addedto the I6 single Odu. They makeroyal progresses.having worked itself out. The motif is always seen in personal terms. e. a regularchange in partners. Iwori. Irete. gives 28. therefore. Iwori. the Death-Postponer. divining on the way.Odi-Qse or Iret?Ofun. since the last Odu cannotvisit himself.This movement is repeated. ti ko releawo Pgb?r?.goes to visit the Odu next below him in rank-that is the next below him on the list. Another referredto the thatwere obligatorywhen the king' steppingout 'returnedto his kingdom. Quite apartfrom the symbolism involved. One this explainedthat Orunmilaarranged schemeso that 'all the world ' could come into contact with the Odu before they went back to Heaven. Topical referencesto events recordedon the way are includedin the recitalattributedto this visit. of one Odu being eliminatedeach time. Workingbackfrom the namesand numbers of the actualrecitals. through the kingdoms. underthe names Ogbe-Iwori and Iwori-Ogbe.Informantsused the words for paths. Then the host Odu pays a returnvisit and the same procedureis followed. Odu are thought of as actual kings with distinguishing attributes. and kingdoms (Amunlumala-Odu.is seen to be an arithmetical progression.The arrangement Odu. Apela-Odu.and a fixedpath to treaduntil the measure. The proverb 'A priest who fails to return a visit from another nullifies the effect of it ' (Awo ti a nrelerf. comes to a naturalend. Each Odu. a sure guide to the orderin the list of the two Odu . The return visit would be under the names Qyeku-Ogbe. and anotherpairof visits and anotherpairof recitalswill result. It is a geometric progression.and Ij9ba). 425 This cannot be due to chance. one can fill in the detailsof anothermathematical concept. in some cases.it is possible to detect a kind of measure. they saw it as a whole. The fact that skilled Babalawounderstandthe movement was illustratedduring a session in Okuku arrangedby the kind officesof the Qba. If our time and stamina had permittedthey would doubtlesshave gone on to the end. the answeris favourableand if the converse but is true. Nevertheless. the senior name comes first. It may well be that the definiteframeworkhad helped them to memorizethe enormousamount of lore involved. and.They set one of their numberto call out the namesof the pairsand anotherto give a sign for each new set to begin. some fell out even before the first stage of competencewas reached.Some blurringof this patternmay be due to the attemptsof clients to ensure the objectivity of the answers elicited by various tricks such as reversingthe normalquestioningprocedureor using a ' messenger' againstits own fixed symbolism.a genuine and significantceremonialin the system contrived to spreadwisdom through the world. Osria-who could worship and divine but not eat the sacrifices.3 Two questions arise: whether a diviner selects from the recitalsarrangedwithin this frameworkonly those that seem likely to suit the needs of his client.having regardto the situation and the problem of his client. According to the normal procedure. They warmed to the work and chantedin correct sequence the first two groups of recitals. picking it up from one another. D. above. and whether he interpretsthe odurecital variously according to the status of the client or the natureof his problem.unfavourable. AwQn-atq ni fa-a fully trained Babalawo. they do not go farenough. 3. 424. 2. Twelve Babalawo were present.The whole recital will have strong internalrelevance.But it is necessaryto point out that negativeis not the same as unfavourableand that thereforeno adverse significanceattachesto the Odu concerned. after identifying the Odu turnedup. in an Qm9-Odu. 422. whether they fully understoodwhat was behind it or not. clearly. in the case of the very dullest. above. He must only proceedin reverseorderin responseto an initial visit. mostly in incantationlanguage. a dose of medicine guaranteedto stimulatethe sluggish mind. It will contain (a) instructions for a sacrificeto avert a particular or obtaina particular evil blessing. It was clearthat. the Babalawo. thirty followed by twenty-eight. Complicatedconjectureshave been made by workersin this field2that if. The form is. without the benefit of information about the whole arrangement.This readingfrom right to left has been put forwardas an indication of Arabic origin. right hand of the patterntakes precedencewhen the figure is to be identified. (b)a piece of poetry.A negative answer may be the one desiredif the questionerframes his requestaccordingly.' It must be rememberedthat in reading either the 9p?l1 or the the finger-prints.that the reverse journeysdid give a negativereply. Even aftera trialperiod of two years. see note i on p. In no circumstancescan an Odu make a forward journey with one above him on the list. J. selects from it what he considersan appropriate recital. (c) a story (myth) in illustration. Clarke and others. precisely. They were asked to go through the Qm(-Odu from the beginning.they fit in with the idea suggestedby the figuresthat in the originalform of the systemthe rule was.He can choose from anythingup to seventeenor 426 See p. 3 There were three ranks: i. Olori-who could 2 worship but not divine.TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION mentioned above. Not every recruitmanagedit. sincethey have had to be formed on observationsmade during unrelatedsessions. . is automatic in its responses. In some of the Odu alternate sacrifices are given and. and although the obvious greed of unscrupulous charlatans has brought the system into disrepute. he is thought to be able to affect it. It calls for no emotional reactions. the statement is made 'Let him sacrifice according to his means '. During the tribal wars of the nineteenth century. enable him to know without being told. no acts of faith. So there is always the hope that prayer may induce him to avert an evil fate. B. Again. therefore. Unprotected and in an exposed position. if the suppliant takes pains to hide his question or his purpose from him. They did so and settled about two miles to the south of the present town. (ii) For an important or rich client the Babalawo often recites more than one set. Although the spread of education has increased the ranks of the sceptic and the scoffer. Two differences are acknowledged: (i) The sacrifice demanded is often increased or reduced. they moved to the site of the present town which is on a low plateau of rock surrounded by thick bush. or the even more suggestive words-' There is no sacrifice' occur. their army was in the field and did not return. on the whole. Fear of illness and death seems to be always present. viz. The idea that variation in interpretation occur is strongly eighteen repudiated though it is admitted that the Babalawo could selectwith intent. I deal with this medicine in a further article. The number and kind of sacrifices are prescribed and any consultation can be unrevealing to the intermediary if a client so desires it. Group consultations and omnibus questionings still occur and the patience with which all possible alternatives to the solution of the problem are eliminated is still remarkable. TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION . it still survives and confidence in it is surprisingly resilient. they consuited Ifa again about moving to a place more easily defensible. Idowu gives examples of spurious recitals that have ' The case of the moving of the town of Iwo is legendary. He continues until the suppliant admits that he has heard something significant. A greater threat to the continued existence of Ifa as a trustworthy cult lies in the attempts of well-meaning but misguided devotees to find some way of correlating it with the Christian faith. The emotional response of the client is strong.427 can sets of verses. the medicines given to him on his initiation. The first site was at the confluence of the rivers Qba and Qshun. in some. The town used to be flooded badly in the rainy season. I have asked many people how the Babalawo. if he wishes. in the consultation itself and any fear is cushioned by the belief in the efficacy of sacrifice and prayer. A prolonged consultation with Babalawo is said to have taken place and the Chiefs were advised to move it. But. Perhaps faith in it dies hard because it is founded on a theory of numbers and. They try to equate the sanctions behind Ifa with the teaching of Christ and the Revd. After twenty castings. There is no finality. according to the status of the client. and consumed regularly. The reply has always been the same. since Orunmila is said to be present at the dispatch of every person into the world and to be aware of the destiny of all. Very rarely indeed do such sentences as 'This client should begin to put his house in order' or ' This suppliant must sacrifice often lest a sorrowful cry may reach his ears '. on the advice of the Ifa priests. can select appropriately. because of this fact. the oracle is reassuring since no suppliant is deprived of hope. The analogous story shows how some other person escaped from the particular evil by careful obedience to the instructions for sacrifice. IP N-E 'P QSFUN SE IROSVNOrUN 1 2 2 1 . nOS 24 I 1 1 1 2 2 JGaUO^.D' o A.JN DKA .N. Orisunsolais often referredto in the verses. His twin.9 SE OSE-IKA OTURUPqN- IKA- OFUN OFUN.IO OrEKU-OKANNRAN 9"Ft. ON cMXlJgOUP u.OTU IKAIRETE REFERE NCE 1.I...ROSUN.IOK OTURUPONOFVN 12 .IRrTE OYEKU-9S: .D01 r PSeT Cw. SA A IETE.OoBE OFUN9YEKU-OTUAQVE KU.UOTNU-R N DTURUP91OrODI D00. mIOSUUN .IRETE QS -gSE OSA-OFUN OFUN 05A 2 14 3SA 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 IKA 2 2 2 2 2 2 GTURUPON ?A-OTuRUPO. The patterns attributed to the Omo-Odu will consist of those of the two principal Odu whose names are combined 1--0ODI eg Odi-irosun will be-1 Irosun 1 2 2 2 2 1 N." N|eG9E OGUGND B*ARA EJ I 1 1 OrFBE - OVEUGE OSBE IWORI-OGBE U OYE K 2 2 2 2 2 2 ' -' Q9?KU OGBE. His name means 'walking crookedly'.I-IIOGUNICO- 18 .RAN PSK -. The figure 1 represents either a half-nut which falls with its concave side uppermost or One mark mode on the finger -printing board The figure 2 represents either a convex nut or o double mark on the board N. He is described as clumsy in build with a slight curvature of the spine.2. -.OBAR& 2 2 OKANRAN o.B. First in importance and rank.. xu. OTUA I 1 2 1 1 9SE .9 OG'JNDA o.IWORC OCBE.cU OKANR4N-OqYEU I OGGUNDA- CF.OfUN 28 2 2 1 1 22 TORUPpN- OFUN . IROSUNROSU`- OA eAIROSUN OWN".AOKANRA-N 01 NOA- OSE OB90AOSE .uNo.Sru.A'6" 2 D9s..OS.-OYEDO oYEKU.OFUN OrUN.oflPao NA.- OBUNDA " IROSUN-0'. The reading is from right to left -OTUAI IQETE-IKA IK' .osuA OT7u10q- OT'-. In a principal Odu the two sides are identical 2.IWORI 2 2 26 1 00 I 1 2 2 1 u DT.R:tE-I"OSUN _ 2 2 22 I OWONRIN 2 2 7 2 1 2 20 1 1 CWqNRIN' F. Shifted away from original site to Ogbom9sho area . oWCN?..UI qYEKU-OFUN OCUN-OYEKU 1 1 .OYEKU RErt-OYEKU OSE-OYK.B..-.uPp4 OTURU Os PON 2 OTUA-PON T - qsS QSE o2uP OTUA.7 IRE . Qyeku A4pa (Ogun's town).OSE 9SE -!ER TE IRETE 1 2 1 1 2 1 OSE 4 2 1 2 2 2 2 OFUN 2 1 1 2 2 1 1 2 2 0 Appendix Odu Ejiogbe Birthplace OtunEkiti Area and Parentage Characteristics Son of Qrunmilaby Qsun.Su- OGUNOA ?OF OGJNoA OGUNA* r OFVN 16 1 1 2 ?SA. ".K _ v 1 LI' - OFUN OOSE 1 1 oy.428 TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION appeared which follow some of the stories to be found in the Bible. 5 rrtT OCUNDAOS I I . THE ODU OF IFA OGRE-OKAl.. The Church of Qrunmila is an interesting example of an attempt to raise the status of what is felt to be historically interesting but lamentably pagan. His figure appearing during a consultation is said to ensure the killing of any quarry.OTUA IRETE.I OCUNOA- 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 OGUNDA 1 T 1 1 OTURuPOCUNDA OTUA..WOm*I. IROSItN . OGUNDA COBE-IRETE 06BE-Os5 OGBf OGBE-OTUA OGBE CTUAIRETi-OGBE 9SE.0S5 N 10 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 8 2 1 1 . SUI ?SA -. Son of the King of Apa by Qyekun. It is difficult to see how any of these attempts can find a parallel with the valid and self-supporting theory of numbers on which the Ifa divination system is based. Very lucky for hunters.A C.R.TUA. . daughterof the King of Qtun.I I I OGUNDAOOTUA OCUNDA- -.KA-mPOSu . ~ ~ QS9-ROSUN rOFUM-IROSUN _ _ _ _ OWONRIN ODARA 2 2 .OONRIN OGD[- CCE -OSA OW?NRIN-OGBE OBARA-OCFOE oYtKU-CWONR NwOYEku-OARA eaRA OWONRIN-CYEKU .u pSAo YtKU 30 2 2 IWORI IWOr.A cwlnlN . e.' Qsa . Persistentstory that he was a changearea ling but he brought good fortune.Finding that his wife did not conceive he drugged her before having intercourse with her.Many of the moral aphorisms in the verses are attributed to him. Son of Ogun. The name means nakedness. She was restored again by Esu. Odi Irosun Qw9nrin Qbara Qkanran Ogunda Oko near Old Qy9. The King of Ogodo discovered a naked woman on Modern name is the bank of a streamwhere she had bathed. Destroyed and The Paramount Chief of Q19 worked a very large farm.Odu Iwori TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION 429 and Characteristics Parentage Birthplace Igodo. friend of Ogun. He is sometimesreferred to as Apereodagba (short stool) as he was very Province near Ipo short in the legs. the East. Near Lagos His mother. She bore Irosun with no difficulty.He had relationswith her by force and Iwori was born as Godogodo a result. This Odu inspires fear. Noted for his wisdom.'he-who-comes'. His son Qbarawas born on the day when a resettled in OgboDistrict splendidcrop of melon seeds was being winnowed mgsho so he was called Olubarawaiye. because she was suspectedof being concernedin the killing of two people. in Ketu Son of the king and born during a time of drought Gbegbekunegb1 and famine. Q9g. i. ' Son of a fleeing woman. Qrunmilais said to be with Qwonrin. In the beautiful prayerused in the initiation ceremony of a Babalawo. His name is variously translated: the two most common versions are that it is a corruptionof the word meaning scarcity and that it means 'from the East'. was punishedby being madea slave. Ogunda = 'the God of Iron broke it '. His name means ' conceived in sleep '. The name means 'son of a woman criminal'. pursued and caught by the king of Otta. Iderein Ibarapaarea Born to the king and his highly strung wife as the result of a stratagem. called in for the purpose. Now in the OgboHe is said to have rapeda woman so violently that District m9sh9 her whole body broke up. She bore Qkanran to the king. Terrifying person. Itile Born of a woman who. In Senegal. the God of Iron. Born at Oko during a visit paid by Ogun to Oko. Ota. liu-Iper in Il9rin Son of the 1leju and Ibilola. to-life-when-melon-seeds-are-hammered Later contractedto Qbara. Celle qui fournit les renseignementsles plus complets est le systeme de geomancie connu sous le nom d'Ifa. King of Iw9ya. Irete se Ikolo. and went to sleep on the way to Ile-Ife and so arrivedlast. she was punished for wantonness. near Iwo Iwgya Oniw9ya. gave ally called Ila Odo good advice to his fellow Odu who deferred to him. Oturupon Otua to Godogoa or Hausa. Said to have had extreme :-Ekiti dignity of demeanour because he was tall and Ik9le strong. Two goats untied and left to roam on his birth-day. encore qu'on l'appelle souvent Ifa. IDestroyed in Son of King Onikanmogun by a delicate rather crooked woman thought incapable of having very early times. Its people came children. Name from ]re-ni-e-te-man ' Son of woman trodden into the bog '. II est regi par un esprit du meme nom que l'Odu.Born at a time when many strangerswere staying in land Sudan. Name means 'child of damaged organ'. L'oracle d'Ifa est anime par une divinite nommee Orunmila. This is a referenceto her fate. elle s'effectueselon trois processus de complexite variable. Came his father's town-' strangersin the town '. said to have been the first finger-printeron earth.430 Odu Ika TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION Bfirthplace and Parentage Characteristics Ika. One story relates that he should have been the first Odu but that he drank too much palmwine. Grew up mischievous-plucked other soutii and settled people's kola-hence name 'plucker'. Had boils on his testicles when he procreated his son. Obscure references occur connecting him with the male cricket. Origin. But his prestige was always great.Origin not known.Ikole area near Son of the King of Ikolo.Or Orangun. Sent to Ipapo near Qy9 knowledge of Ifa back to his own people. Very prudent. Qfun Resume DEUX ETUDES DE LA DIVINATION PAR IFA LESYoruba pratiquentun certain nombre de techniques divinatoires. Ila Orangun. Tim9rrr His parents were King ]llemere and Ireile. Le devin consulte l'oracle pour decouvrirl'Oduqui regit la destinee de son client: c'est un signe qu'il dessine dans la poussiere repanduesur la table de divination.il implique toute une serie d'incantationset de mythes qui expliquentla situation .les deux cas les plus compliques etant pratiques par des devins professionnels (les babalawo). il peut tenir seize noix de kola dans une main et en prendredans la main pleine autantque possible avec l'autre main. II ne se contente pas de degager l'etroite echelle de variations dans l'ordre des dispositions de l'Odu mais il apprecie aussi a leur juste valeur l'originalite et la veracite d'un grand nombre de descriptions ethnographiques de la divination par Ifa. McClellandmontrent donc que les Yoruba ont elabore une structurelogique dans leurs relations avec l'Oduqui se trouve exprimee a travers la mythologie du systeme.c'est la manieredont le systeme a ete incorpore aux conceptions cosmologiques des Yoruba. Ce sont la les Oduprincipaux et l'ordre selon lequel ils sont disposes de memoire par les devins est expose dans les deux articles precedents. Son etude presente en outre une nouvelle information appreciableen tant qu'apercudes processus des devins. McClellandanalyse le principe suivant lequel est structurel'ordre adopte par les membres de son echantillonnage de devins dans l'aire centrale des Yoruba. Ces deux etudes specialiseesde l'une des partiesdu systeme de divination par Ifa ont trait a des problemes d'un interet beaucoup plus etendu. Le professeur Bascom poursuit une enquete empirique sur l'ordre actuellement suivi..TWO STUDIES OF IFA DIVINATION 431 du client en se referant a une situation archetypaleet en prescrivant certaines presente offrandes a pratiquer a l'esprit Odu et. si le client arrive a ses fins. . simplementdelimites. a d'autres divinites. Le devin peut jeter une corde ou une chaine a laquelle sont accroches huit objets semblables qui donnent des arrangementstete-queue. eventuellement. L'on dispose l'Odu sur la table de divination en marquantle fond avec un element d'abord de la main droite puis de la main gauche. Le Dr. Ou bien. en observant s'il en tombe une ou deux. mais aussi chez des peuplesvoisins qui pratiquentle meme systeme. I1est bien evident qu'il y a seize signes possibles danslesquels les colonnes de droite et de gauche sont identiques. Les analysesminutieusesdu ProfesseurBascom et du Dr. d'apres un tres grand nombre d'informateurs. ensuite de nouveau avec la main droite etc .. en allant de gauche a droite et de bas en haut. concernantl'ethnographieet l'histoire de l'Afrique occidentale.Les seize colonnes dans le tableaudes signes d'Odusont identiques aux signes utilises dans un systeme de geomancieoriginairede l'Antiquiteau Proche Orient. Un signe d'Oducomprend huit elements. qui se disposent en deux colonnes de quatre. Ce qui est particulierementinteressant.non seulement chez les Yoruba.et chez les descendantsdes Yoruba a Cuba.