àgéré Ifá (divination cup)

Known as àgéré Ifá, vessels such as this – with deep bowls balancing carefully upon the heads of typically female caryatid figures – serve a vital function within Yorùbá divination practices. Via such practices, insights into the causes of current misfortunes or into the promises of the future may be revealed. In a form of ritual forecasting that continues today in some parts of southwest Nigeria, the Republic of Benin and Togo and is centred on an intricate system of mathematical patterns and poetry cycles, Ifa priests (or Babalawo) appeal to the powerful god Orunmila to expose the machinery of the present or reveal aspects of the future relevant to their clients by making use of sacred palm nuts (ikin) stored in an àgéré Ifá such as this one.

To attain such prophetic insights for their clients, an Ifa priest (who within Yorùbá society serves as the principal guardian of sacred poetic verses and oversees their interpretation) can employ one of several methods, each more complex than the next. One of the more complex methods involves the use of an àgéré Ifá vessel similar to this one, together with other ritual paraphernalia such as a decorated tray covered in sand and a wooden or ivory tapper [1]. On this more complex method, an Ifa priest transfers sixteen palm nuts (ikin) freely between their hands, taking note of whether they are left with an odd or even number of nuts in each fist upon each transfer. While moving these sacred nuts between their hands, the priest draws a set of marks in sand spread out on a specially designed wooden board called an opon Ifa. At a certain point, the Babalowo translates the distinctive markings on the board into corresponding verses from the vast cannon of Ifa verses to offer a diagnosis for spiritual problems or to provide a tailored prophecy.

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