Figure 53: H 7 3/4"
At the time of a consultation, a mouse is placed in the lower chamber. In the upper chamber an inverted tortise shell or small rectangular metal plate is placed with bits of rice chaff on it. Ten narrow metal strips are attached at one end of the shell or plate lying in a parallel pattern. A lid, placed over the container, is removed after a minute or two and the wunnzueyifwe (diviner) "reads" the rearrangement by the mouse of the metal strips (Fischer and Homberger 1985:23-27; Himmelheber 1997:86-88). According to the Guro, the mouse ascends to hear the client's explanation of the problem, descends to the hole in the base of the container to consult the earth, and then ascends to the upper chamber and "places" the strips. The diviner then interprets the new pattern in terms of a received framework of meaning (Fischer and Homberger 1985: 24; Homberger 1996:8, 9). What is important in this and similar divination processes, as in spider divination in the Cameroons, is the determination of the patterns by an independent agent; in this case, the mouse as the agent of the earth spirit. The human factor enters in the reading of the rearranged pattern, which, however, is based upon a received oral tradition establishing the paramaters of the interpretation and consultation.
Ifa divination among the Yoruba of southwestern Nigeria is probably the most fully studied of all West African divination systems (see Abimbola 1975a, 1975b, 1976; Abiodun 1975, 1987; Bascom 1969, 1980; Drewal & Drewal 1983). The Maurer Collection contains a number of very fine artworks once used by priests of Ifa, babalawo, father of secrets.
 Figure 54: Top W 10" Bottom W 12 1/4" H 12" 3/4" |  Figure 55: W 7 1/4" H 13" |
 Figure 56: 6 1/2" |
Fig. 54 is an agere Ifa which holds the sixteen sacred palm nuts (ikin Ifa) used by a diviner while "casting Ifa." The carving depicts a babalawo holding the ikin Ifa in his left hand as he attempts to grab them with his right hand. If one palm nut remains in his left hand, two small parallel lines are drawn in the iyerosun dust on the diviner's tray (opon Ifa) such as the one illusrated in fig. 57. If two palm nuts remain in his hand, one mark is placed in the dust. After eight successful casts have been made, two parallel columns of four marks is the sign of one of the two hundred and fifty-six collections of poems and narratives that constitute a vast corpus of oral literature known as Odu Ifa. As the priest chants the appropriate passages, the client is surrounded by a wealth of imagery reflecting the Yoruba world view and its system of values in terms of which the client in consultation with the priest is enabled to address his problem--both in terms of defining it and discovering how to respond to it.
The three agere Ifa in the exhibition (figs. 54, 55, and 56) are not merely containers but visual images of life as a struggle and Ifa as the way of finding aid. In fig. 55 a hunter/warrior sits astride his horse with sword and gun bearers on either side. It is an image of power and prestige. However, on the lid of the Ifa bowl a bird grasps a shrieking lizard. Fig. 54 introduces into an otherwise serene scene of an Ifa priest surrounded by his wives and others the conflict of a snake and tortise. The sculptural organization of both carvings entails a skillful use of space as well as sculpted image in establishing the relationship of the parts of the sculpture. An even more imaginative integration of concept and composition is in fig. 56 which depicts a bowl balanced on the back of a pangolin. The pangolin's scales are hard, and when its body is drawn into a circle, it is virtually impregnable to the attacks of other animals. The blood from the tail of a pangolin is thought to be of great sacrifical significance. In this carving the artist depicts the pangolin balanced on its four legs with its tail turned in a graceful spiral upwards to the bowl's edge. Explicitly or implicitly all three agere Ifa convey to the anxious client images of life's struggles and the power of Ifa to disclose the knowledge and means for living successfully.
| At the beginning of a divination session, the Ifa diviner will draw a cross-roads pattern on the surface of the opon Ifa (fig. 57) as a sign that this is the place of meeting between human concerns (e.g., sickness, barrenness, fear of witchcraft) and spiritual powers. It is the place of communication between humans and orisa Orunmila, the god of wisdom who knows the prenatal destiny (ori) chosen by each person. The diviner will then use his iroke Ifa, Ifa tapper (fig. 58), to invoke the presence of the ancient babalawo. Tapping rythmically, he will call upon Orunmila and orisa Esu, to be attentive to what he is doing. Esu is the guardian of the ritual way, the messenger of the gods and other spiritual powers, as well as the conveyer of the sacrifices of humans to such powers. Esu's face always appears at the top of an opon Ifa. The opon in the Maurer Collection is a beautiful example of carving style among the Ijebu Yoruba. The iroke is a fine example of Ketu Yoruba style. |
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The apo Ifa (fig. 59) is a bead covered bag in which the diviner carries his divination instruments: the sacred palm nuts, an opele chain, and the Ifa tapper. The quality of the beadwork suggests that it may have been made by artists of the Adesina family in Efon Alaye in southern Ekiti. The strung beads are sewn on cloth panels trimmed in leather. The colors usually associated with Ifa are green and gold, although color classification in Yoruba artistry is fluid and numerous references may be present in a particular work, for example, the juxtaposition of red and white which is consistently associated with orisa Sango. The bold embossed face on the cover of the bag is frequently used in Yoruba beadwork, appearing on king's crowns, dance panels of orisa devotees, as well as apo Ifa. The face is framed by rows of black and green beads and a pattern of black triangles radiating against a background of white and gold. Above the face a checkered pattern whose symmetrical color scheme is interrupted by asymmetrical moments makes the pattern dance before one's eyes. The cover is outlined with three rows of white and black beads and leather trim. Below the cover the motif of triangular patterns is repeated in a symmetry of shape and color. Pieces of leather and woven fibre descend at the bottom to secure the cover to the bag. It is a visually compelling work of art, pulsating with shapes and colors around a face whose eyes pierce the viewer, commending to the viewer that it is through Ifa divination that one may discern that which is not ordinarily visible. |
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