Essays in Honour of Professor Wande Abimbola

IFA DIVINATION PROCESS

Bade Ajayi
University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria

1. Introduction
Divination is universally concerned with practical problems and it seeks information from
which practical decisions may be made. The source of such information is not conceived as
mundane.
The divinatory arts are many and a broad understanding of them can only emerge from a
survey of actual practices in various cultural settings. Men all over the world practise divination and
device various methods of doing this. The Assyro-Babylonians have their Bam (seer and diviner)
who employs hapatoacopy-divination by observing the liver of sheep which had been used for
sacrifice. The Buddhists in India practise astrology and they use lots and oracles as means of
divination. The Greeks had their oracular shrinks of Jupiter at Dodona and Apollo at Delphi. The
Romans used the Sortes and the Japanese use Ornoplatoscopy. In Rornan society, auspices (auspicia)
are the means by which the Romans seek to ascertain the support of the gods.
Other forms of divination are palmistry, cream interpretation and astrology. Diviners of
similar kinds include the many types of media who may communicate with the dead (necromancy
process) as well as-crystal gazers, dream interpreters and diviners by automatic writing.
Like the other peoples of the world, the Yoruba employ various system These systems include
erindinlogun which involves the casting of sixtecn cowries, which employs a set of separate strings
with four markers each and iyanrin tite (sand and cutting). Others areobi dida (casting of kolanut),
omi wiwo(water gazing), owo wiwo(paImistry), owo wiwo(gazing on money), atipa or
abokuusoro(necromancy) and wjwo oju (gazing on the eyes). One of our informants, Awoyerai
Elebu-ibon, emphasises that get (three cowries),' eerin (four cowries) and eejo (eight cowries) were
used for divination in the distant past. Among others, Ogimbiyii (1952: 83-84) Awolalu (1.979: 121),
Bascorn ((1969:11) and Qlatunji (1984: 109) have-described some of the processes and forms
dtdivination among the- Yoruba.
Of all the methods of divination employed by the Yoruba, Ifa divination is considered the
most reliable, and the most popular means of divination (Bascom 1969:11 and Awolalu 1979: 122).
Till these day, the Ifa priests are located over the Yorubaland. As this research reveal most of the
various forms of divination among the Yoruba take their.sources from Ifa divinatioin .
Ifa. divination is both a body of knowledge and a system of social, emotional, pathological
control, employing relevant historical and mythological precedents contained in the special
divinatory verses to be recited, chanted or song by the babalawo. lfa divination is the most complex
system of divination both in its repertoire of verses and in its range of applications. To the Yoruba,
divination or consultation with the supreme divinity (Orunmila) is of crucial spiritual importance.
The oral tradition emphasises the parit played by Orunmila is guiding the destiny of man and
divinities. One reason given for his intimate knowledge of matters affecting man's destiny is that
Orunmila is present when man is being created. Therefore he knows all the secrets of human beings
and thus he can reveal what one has destined and if the destiny is an unfortunate one, Orunmila
canprescribe remedies to avert the misfortune. This is why Orunmila is being described as Elerii-ipin
(the witness of destiny or lot), 'Obirikiti A-pa-ojo-iku-da' (the great one, who alters the date of death).
If a divination is operated by means of the configuration called Qdu. In the Ifa corpus are as
many as 256 possibilities (16 principal and 240 minor Odu) each containing mythological stories
which the babalawo narrates in the process of divination. The sixteen principal Qdu (plus the signs)
in order of seniority are listed below (for easy reference).

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Essays in Honour of Professor Wande Abimbola
ODI MEJI [4] IWORI MEJI [3] OYEKU MEJI [2] E.JI OGBE[1]

0 0 00 00 00 00 0 0
00 00 0 0 00 00 0 0
00 00 0 0 00 00 0 0
0 0 00 00 00 00 0 0
OKANRAN MEJI [8] OBARA MEJI [7] OWORI MEJI [6] IROSUN MEJI [5]

00 00 0 0 00 00 0 0
00 00 00 00 00 00 0 0
00 00 00 00 0 0 00 00
0 0 00 00 0 0 00 00
OTURUPQN. MEJI IKA MEJI[11] OSA M EJI [10] OGUNDA MEJI [9]
[12]
00 00 00 00 00 00 0 0
00 00 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 00 00 0 0 0 0
00 00 00 00 0 0 00 00

OFUN MEJI[16] OSE MEJI [15] IRETE MEJI[14] OTUA MEJI [13]

00 00 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 00 00 0 0 00 00
00 00 0 0 00 00 0 0
0 0 00 00 0 0 0 0

Note: The numbering order (1-16) follows the system in which the Qdu signs are always marked by
the babalawo.

2 The Babalawo
The Babalawo are the trained dedicated Ifa priests and diviners in the Yoruba community
of Nigeria. In Yoruba tracdtional .society, a babalawo is a 'doctor1', a 'pharmacist', a herbalist and the
most popular diviner who the people' consult for advice, guidance and medical treatment. When a
pregnant woman is under labour, when a person is seriously sick or when there is a breakout of
epidemic disease, the babalawos help is .sought personally or on behalf of the victim. It should
however be noted that the babalawo's unique position in the Yoruba society is neither attained
through lineage or honour. The status of a babalawo can only be acquired after many years of
rigorous training and experiences. The detail on training follows later.
At any point in. time, no practising babalawo vines without using either the opele (the
divining chain) or the ikin (the sacred palmnut). The use of these instruments would enable him, to
know, the nature of his client's problem. The diviner relies on the dictate of the gods. The diviner.
thus serves as a link between two worlds: the ephemeral and eternal, the material and the spiritual.
Just as a medical doctor always takes with him a stethoscope, a technician has .an avometer, a
screwdriver and pliers ready with him for an emergency work, a babalawo pockets his portable opele
when he is invited to a nearby town or village for divine consultation.
There are .two major categories of babalawo in Yorubaland: the- Awo Qlodu and the Awo
Elegan. The Awo Olodu (the devoted Ifa diviners) are the most recognised and the most
knowledgeable class of babalawo in the Yoruba society of Nigeria. They are only the diviners but

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Essays in Honour of Professor Wande Abimbola
also the worshippers of Orunmila, the god of divination and wisdom. The Awo Elegan on the other
hand, are those babalawo who are not fully engaged in Ifa divination. These consist of the Agbamole
and Sawosesegun. The Agbamole are the set of babalawo who either inherited the divining chain or
partially trained in .the art of Ifa divination but uninitiated into Ifa cult. When this class of babalawo
feel like doing so, they can divide for themselves or. any member of their family, but never an
outsider. The area of specialisation attached to Ifa literature include the Ifa divination art, healing and
chanting of Iyere (the ifa songs). A, babalawo may specialise in one or two of the areas. The
Asawosesegun, the second sub-category of Awo Elegan mentioned above, are those
babalawo with combined honours degree in Ifa literature. They combine divination with healing of
serious illnesses such as leprosy, epilepsy and mental disorder. Usually, they are more popular as a
healer than a diviner. Chief idowu Obayomi (alias Afinju Babalawo) of Ijagba compound, Sagamu in
Ogun Stale of Nigeria and late Aladokun of Ikirun Oyo State of Nigeria are two examples of
Asawosescgun interviewed in the course of this study. To whichever category of babalawo one may
belong, the code of conduct which binds them all must be preserved. A babalawo is always generous,
faithful, Knowledgeable, and a good traditional counsellor to the members of his community. A
babalawo in discharging his duty, always believes he has an obligation to fulfil in respect of his
client (s) and this he does willingly.
The babalawo are highly respected, not only for their wisdom and intelligence but also for
their faithfulness and generosity to the members of the society. Under normal circumstances, no one
insults or fights them.
Mo ru eewo orisa, I say it is a taboo to the orisa,
Enikan o gbodo na babalawo, No one beats an Ifa priest,
To ba gbofa yanranyanran lotu Ife Who is Very Versed in Ifa in the city of Ife.
Generally, every babalawo knows his right and also keeps te law of the land. A babalawo by
his training and practice, is prepared to advise and guide anybody who consults him. He knows
something about the life and teaching of Orunmila and when he divines for his clients, he interpret
only the message of Orunmila. Whatever may be the problem or complaint of a client is no secret to
Orunmila and any trained and certificated babalawo should be able to read the language of Orunmila
through the Odu signs. But if a babalawo does not receive a proper training, he may have some
problems in interpreting Odu sign and thus deliver wrong message to the client. In such a
circumstance, the clients whose faith in Ifa divinity is not strong enough may complain of its
inability to foresee all things.
Ope-oseru, Ope (Orunniila) is not dishonest,
Qniki ni o gbofa, It is the chanter who is'not versed in Ifa,
Ohun a ba bIfa. Whatever we ask Ifa
Nifa i so. Is what Ifa reveals.
If this happens, it is the babalawo who has "misrepresented the divinity. Anyone who has
successfully passed through the rigours of Ifa training would be able to identify the problem of his
clients. The babalawo should base his expertise on the training he has acquired. Those who use
charms to find out the hidden problems of their clients are not true babalawo and in fact, they are not
fit to be one. This class of babalawo (if any), are being dishonest, and they pay dearly for it. In the
later part of their life, emphasised our informants, such babalawo lose their sight permanently.
It is highly essential that one who' aspires to be an Ifa priest (babalawo) receives adequate
training from a versed and experienced babalawo that he may be able to meet the responsibilities of
the important positions in which he would later find himself in the community. While in training, the
would -be babalawo would be taught the Odu signs and commit to memory a great number of' ese
Ifa (stories) associated with the Qdu starting with Ejiogbe (the first. Odu in the corpus). After
the.mastery of the required stories in each of the sixteen principal Odu. the proceeds to the stories in
he minor Odu As emphasized by our informants, the study of ese Ifa require deep concentration,
otherwise the trainee will be wasting time in repeating the stories of an Odu several times.

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Essays in Honour of Professor Wande Abimbola
In his work, Abimbola (1976:18-24) describes the system of training and initiation of a
would-be babalawo. Nevertheless there are some other facts worth knowing for, understanding fully
the process of training of a would-be babalawo . Before an trainee lays his hand on anything,
divination has to be performed for him on order for him to know the Odu which is destined for him.
Thed babalawo usual terms for the this notion is Odu to bi enikan which literally means the Odu
which gives birth to someone (the trainee in the case). It is this Odu which will guide the master
babalawo the way to treat the person in training. The trainee begins his education with the
identification of the signature of each of the sixteen principal Odu and essentially the Opele is the
major instructional materials for the purpose. The Opele used for the training is made from pieces of
calabash (paaakara) which looks inferior to the usual Opele the babalawo use for divination. The
process of studying the signs of Odu is referred to as Sisi Opele(the opening of Opele). This term
derives from the fact that the master-babalawo uses his hand to form the pattern of each Odu when
teaching his students. It must be noted that it is only the principal Odu that are learned this way. After
a trainee has mastered the signs of the sixteen Odu, he would be examined by his master and perhaps
in the company of a few fellow babalawo. The performance of the trainee would determined whether
or not he would proceed to the minor Odu.
Assuming that the trainee has displayed mastery over the principal Odu he starts learning the
minor Odu (beginning from the first minor Odu-Ogbeyeku). His master now uses the method casting
the Opele to teach him. When the Opele, any Odu can emerge and in this case the trainee does not
only learfn the minor Odu but also revises the principal Odu. A trainee learns better by understanding
his master as he (he master) divines for various clients. The trainee learns the correct stories to each
Odu and the correct tone which distinguishes ese Ifa from all other poetic arts as esa and Ijala
among the Yoruba.
In addition, to his knowledge of Ifa and.the process of divination an aspiring babalawo rnust
know the appropriate sacrifice for each Odu. He must also acquire a vast amount of herbal and
pharmaceutical lore with its accompanying repertoire of charms and incantation. It therefore follows
that those who ultimately qualify as full practising babalawo are men of some intellectual strength
and judgement. Above all, the babalawo is not only an artist but the custodian of Yoruba cultural
heritage.
In respect of the age of the trainee, both the young and old can decide to learn Ifa According
to Adebayo Kehinde of Elepe Onipele Compound, Oyo, a boy of ten to twelve years would spend
sixteen years (as against twelve years stated by Abimbola) before he can be granted-freedom to
practise on his own. It is then the young babalawo is said to be fairly mature to shoulder the
responsibility of a babalawo. Nevertheless, the young babalawo is still under thirty at his graduation
and thus his age and- experiences might prevent him from speaking with full authority especially
when he is in the midst of the old master- babalawo.
We should realise that Ifa training is the most complex of all the systems of divination among
the Yoruba. For example, the training of Erindinlogun, Agbigba, Osanyin and some other forms of
divination does not involve too long time and skill. Within a short time, an Erindinlogun trainee
starts divining for some clients. It is difficult (if not impossible) for one to become a responsible
babalawo without an adequate knowledge and thorough understanding of the Qdu and the ese of Ifa.
This is why Idowu (1962:137-138) describes the Ifa divination system as 'an intricate art which is
painfully and laboriously learned before it can be mastered to an appreciable degree.
One has to learn and commit to memory the 256 Odu with the endless stories connected with
them and the practical application of the stories. He should also learn to prescribe appropriate
sacrifice and medicinal preparation. All these are the skills which take much time, patience and
energy. Furthermore, a would-be babalawo or diviner does not stop studying once his apprenticeship
is complete and he has begun to practise on his own. Fie continues to learn new verses and medicine
from his teacher and other babalawo or diviners. In effect, the period of studying ese Ifa never ends.
A diviner keeps on learning until he dies.

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Essays in Honour of Professor Wande Abimbola
There is no doubt, the babalawo rare very intelligent but they do not claim to know everything.
Bascom (1969) describes the babalawo as the best,,organised and most knowledgeable, magico-
religious secf of the country. When a babalawo is in search of knowledge, he could consult any other
babalawo, old or young. Even when Orunmila was alive, he once sought knowledge from one of his
children.
Agba to moyi ko.moyi, The elder who knows one thing may not know the other,
A diafun Qnmmila, Performed Ifa divination for Orunmila
Ti yoo si tun kdfa lodo Who would still learn Ifa from Amosun, one of his
Amosun re. followers.

The excerpt above shows how humble and ambitious the babalawo are. No true babalawo pretends
to know everything. He is always prepared to learn more anywhere and from anybody. It is a
common attitude of the babalawo that they are always prepared to teach Ifa to anyone at any time.

When one wants to acquire some knowledge on Ifa corpus, he approaches a babalawo and tells him
his mission. He will readily impart the knowledge.
If a group of babalawo assembles for a meeting, a festival or certain ceremony where there is a
need to chant ese lfa, each member (beginning from the youngest babalawo) chants, recites or sings
ese Ifa which is appropriate to the situation or an Odu which emerged. But if a babalawo who is
called upon does not know certain portion of Ifa he would corne .out frankly that he has forgotten or
that he has no idea of that particular aspect (for Ifa mythology stories are so numerous that no single
person can claim to know ail). This is why the babalawo say aboruboye, o ya ju iro lo ( confession
of one's ignorance is better and more honourable than pretence).
:

3 The Client
The term client, in this study, refers to the person who consults a babalawo for advice and
guidance by means of divination. Before a client consults a babalawo, he should share the belief in
the institution of traditional, divination because the factor of faith plays an important role in a
positive outcome of the practice. Whatever his social status, religious inclination, age or educational
attainment, a client must submit himself to the authority and direction of the babalawo . This is
because the babalawo is believed to be endowed with the knowledge to solve the client's problem.
And as the most trusted diviner, the babalawo too does his best to fulfil the obligation.
To the Yoruba, consultation with the supreme divinity ( Orunmila )is of crucial spiritual
importance when one is about to choose a wife, when a. child is born, when one intends to build a
house or when one plans a journey or undertakes any project with chances of profit or loss. He
"believes that by following the set rules of the system, he can achieve a direct contact with Orunmila
the wisest divinity and the most trusted member of the pantheon.
It is interesting to find in the existing works and fresh data collected on Ifa literary corpus that
Orunmila himself, the Odu, the divinities as well as animals and inanimate objects had once been
clients. They consulted Ifa oracle for various reasons, lack of money, children, wives, or for :victory
over enemies. Foe example, Orunmila consulted other babalawo when he had no money, to buy food
for his visitors as shown in the excerpt below:
Oda-owo, awokoro, Qda-owo, Ifa priest of koro,
Aabo, obinrin re, Aabo, his wife,
Omo won oke Ijerot Their child in the city of ljero,
Bi oda owo ti n dami, Just as.lack money,
Bee ni aabo mi n bo mi, I also have security,
A dia fun Orunmila, Performed Ifa divination for Orunmila,
Nijo ti aalejo meta, On the day three strangers,
O wo sile baba, Were to lodge in the father's house,
Ifa o si nii ni ookan, And Ifa did not have any cowry (money),

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Essays in Honour of Professor Wande Abimbola
A a yoo na(Abimbola 1968: 25-26). Which he could spend.
Another event is when the babalawo divined for Eji-Obara, one of the sixteen principal Odu.
Poverty was the cause of his consultation. Here is the ese lfa
Ise o sohun amusere; Poverty is not a thing to play with;
Lya o sohun.amusawada;. Suffering is not a thing to jest with;
A.dia fun Eji-Obara; Divined for Eji-Obara
Ti n hagbon ola, Who is weaving baskets to be wealthy, Ti gbogbo
aye n tin And everybody is laughing at him.
In the data below, inanimate objects (some drinks) appear as the clients.

Iwo lo se e It is you who offends,

Mee ba o wi That l blame you,
Oran isiin won o toja, Matters of nowadays should pot cause a quarrel,
Ija naa lo de lorin dowe, It is the quarrel which makes a song sound proverbial,
A dia fo ti Performed Ifa divination for Oti (wine).
Qmoo won lode Ilare Their offspring ax Hare
Iwo lo se e It is you who offends,
Mee ba o wi, That I blame you,
Oran isiin won o toja Matters of nowadays should not cause a quarrel,
Ija naa lo de lorin dowe It is the quarrel which makes a song sounds proverbial, A
dia fun Ogoro, Performed If a divination for Ogoro (date palm-wine)
Tii somoo won lode lode, Who is their offspring at Bode
Iwo lo se, It is you who offends,
Ti mee ba o wi That I blame you,
Oran isiin won o toja, Matters of nowadays should not cause a quarrel,
Ija naalo de lorin dowe, It is the quarrel which makes a song sound proverbial,
Difa fun omi tutu, Performed Ifa divination for omitutu (cold water),
Omoo won ode Otun Moba Their offspring at Otun 'Moba
'(Irosungbemi) (a minor odu)

There is need to discuss further the-relationship between the diviner and the client. In most
cases, the diviner is an authority and the most active participant in the course of Ifa divination. He
(the babalawo) casts the divining chain or operates the sacred palrnnuts and when an Odu emerges,
he interprets and narrates the relevant stories and prescribes sacrifices. All along the client remains
passive and listens attentively to the divine message. However, he may briefly react to the general
findings of the diviner, whether what he (the clients) has in mind has been touched or not. After the
performance of any prescribed sacrifice, the client has emotional relief and psychological ;
satisfaction.

4. The Ifa Divination Practice

4.1 Some Instruments Used in the Practice of Ifa Divination
Prominent among the Ifa instruments used for divination the the Ikin (the sixteen sacred
palmnutof divination), the Opele (the divining chain) and the various objects which form the ibo
(instruments for casting lots). Others are the Iyerosun (divination powder), Opon Ifa (the divining
tray), Osun (ornamental Ifa metal staff), Iroke (the carved ivory rattle) and apo Ifa (bags for keeping
Ifa divination instruments). We are aware that Abimbola (1975,1976, 1977) and Bascom (1969)
describe these items but we are going to re-examine and describe in detail, the ikin, the and the ibo
which are very crucial for a better understanding of Ifa divination process among the Yoruba.

a The Ikin (the sixteen sacred palmnuts)

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Essays in Honour of Professor Wande Abimbola
These are the sacred palmnuts with which Orunmila replaced himself when he was
returning to heaven. Every babalawo regards Ikin as the most original and the most sacred
instrument for Ifa divination. Divining with ikini.is a very tedious and laborious operation. For a
single question put to Orunmila, up to thirty draws of palmnuts may be made. In addition to the
trouble entertained in obtaining the main response, several steps are Liken to find out what sacrifice
will be accepted or the manner and place in which the sacrifice is to be made.
The ikin are obtained from a special .kind of palm tree the babalawo call Opele Ifa Such palm
tree looks slightly different from all the other palm trees. Compared to the normal palm tree, Ope Ifa
fronds are often folded and short. Awo falade Alabi and Fasola Areo from Ogbornoso in Oyo State of
Nigeria confirm that out of several bunches of palmnuts on a palm tree, a single one may bear ikin. In
such a bunch, at least one of the nuts must have four eyelets, which each normal ikin has. When a
babalawo collects the whole bunch of palmnuts, he concencrates them after which he selects one out
of the sets of sixteen palmnuts. Each set is called owo kan or 'owo Ifa' (literally, hand of Ifa), A
babalawo may have at least two sets of ikin, all put in a single Ifa plate (awo Ifa). One set is buried
with the babalawo when lie dies .and the other is inherited by one of his sons (if he has one who
decides to be a babalawo), otherwise, the other set l(s) will be hung somewhere in his house.
(b) The Qpele (The Divining Chain)
The Opele is the second most commonly used instrument .of instruction in the process of Ifa
divination. Like the ikin, the Opele is handed over by Orunmila to his children and adherents. The
Opele which is regarded as the original is made from the fruit of Opele tree(Schrebera golungensis).
Besides that, some Opele are made from a light, white metal or brass (ide) and the chain may be
made of silver (fadaka), lead (oje), iron (irin) or beads (ileke) strung together with strong cords.
Every type of Qpele has concave and convex surfaces, but, the outer surface of metallic Opele are
decorated with simple geometric patterns. Such type is rarely used for divination but when employed
for important divination, the sacrifice so prescribed always costs much money. There is another type
of Opele made from pieces of calabash and used by apprentices where they are studying divination
process.
Apart from, the Qpele made of pieces of calabash which may be made as many as the number
of the would-be babalawo in training; a babalawo may have two or more types of Qpele. The
lightweight metallic Opele is-often taken along whenever the babalawo goes, just as a practising
Muslim puts a rosary in his pocket.
It is important to note that divination with Opele is simpler, quicker and permits the asking of
questions through alternatives. This probably accounts for the common statement that the divining
chain talks more than the sacred palmnuts. Nevertheless, the two methods of ikin and Qpele yield the
same set of Oda with the same names, rank, order and the same stories,
(c) The lbo {Instrument for Casting Lots)
In the process of Ifa divination, the Qdu signs are obtained by means of either ikin or Opele
but the ibo form and indispensable object for the interpretation of Orunmilas message.The oracular
interpretation of the message as contained in ese Ifa is usually very broad and of general application.
In order to make the interpretation relevant to a particular person or situation, one needs further
clarification from the divinity himself through the use of ibo Bascom (1969) and Oyesanya (1986:4)
describe ibo as 'determinant'. Qpeola (1985) instruments' and Abimbola (1977) describes them as
'the instruments for casting lots'. But Abimbola's description of ibo seems to be more appropriate
because it is based on the use for which the objects are put.
Some of the objects which form the ibo include the cowry shells, pieces of bones, stone and
broken plates each symbolising different things or notions. For example, a-pair of cowries tied
back .to back symbolises money, goodness, well-being and it denotes affirmative (Yes) but a piece of
bone symbolises death. It simply denotes negative (No), A stone symbolises immortality, long life,
whereas, apiece of broken plate signifies defeat of enemies (victory). However, the black seed of
ake-apple fruit symbolises Orunmila himself, who is believed to be a very black person. A small

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Essays in Honour of Professor Wande Abimbola
shell stands for marriage or sickness. It must be noted that any two of these objects can be used by
the diviner to find out mere details about the general message Orunmila sends to the client(s).
The divine message to the client or the diviner himself, which is contained in Ifa stories, may
be clarified and supplemented by asking a number of specific questions phrased in terms of two or
more mutually exclusive alternative proposition; thus Orunmila may be presented with the choice
between several specific courses of action or may be asked questions which must be answered either
Yes' or 'No'. These questions are posed in terms of two statement; the first, affirmative and the
second, negative. For example, if it has been revealed that the client consults Ifa for his intention to
travel, the first statement will be This person could travel today' and the second statement is to be
This person should not travel today'. These questions, although not marked by question mark, are
posed following the initial throws before its verses are recited or chanted. Such questions are most
frequently asked when the divining .chain is employed.
It is true that either ikin or the opele may be used for divination, but because of its simplicity
and quick result, most babalawo use the Opele to divine. Before casting the Opele he must touch
the divining chain with the cowry shells denoting 'Yes' and place it on his- side. Again, he touches the
with another object of ibo, usually, a piece of bone indicating 'No', and places it on his left side.
When the diviner casts the Opele, the rank of the Odu which emerge during the first and second
casting will determine the response of Orunmila either affirmative or negative. This is why it is
highly essential to master not only the names and the signs of all the Odu but also the position of
each 0du specially the principal ones which form the basis for the minor Odu. As a matter of fact,
this is one of the most technical aspects of Ifa divination process. Normally when, divining, the
Opele is cast twice and the status of the Odu which appears will determine the jbo which one will
pick whether u is the one on the left side or the one on the right. But if the Eji-Ogbe or the Ofun Meji
is cast first or either of them is second in the casting, no other casting follows. It is mythologically
believed that Ofun is the eldest of the Odu and the Eji-Ogbe is the father and the leader of all the
Odu in the corpus. Once any of the Odu emerges as the divination progresses, there is no more
casting but the interpretation immediately precedes the narration of the relevant stories.
As mentioned.above,it is important to master the position the position of each Odu in the
hierarchical order of the principal Odu, otherwise the choice of the ibo will be affected. lt is on the
choice of ibo that the interpretation and the message of Orunmila which the diviner seeks rests. If,
for example, Ogunda Meji (9th Odu) is revealed, the diviner has to cast the Opele once more and if
Irosun Meji ( 5th Odu) is revealed in the second casting, the left hand side of the diviner is picked.
In other words, the. piece of bone on the left side of the diviner denoting "No" is select Here,
Qgunda Meji which is junior to Jrosun Meji is revealed first and when this happen, the determinant
on the left is picked. But where a senior Odu is revealed before a junior one, the ibo on the right side
of the diviner is picked Similarly, if any of the sixteen principal Odu (except Eji Qgbe and Ofun
Meji) is revealed before any of the minor Odu, the ibo on the right hand side is picked and vice versa.
When the minor Odu are revealed at the first and second casting, what the diviner considers
most is the position of the Odu which falls to the right. For instance, if Ogbebara
0 0
0 0
0 0
00 0
is revealed at the second casting, the diviner has to consider the position of Ogbe and Obara in the
list of the major Odu. Since Qgbe is senior to Obara, the right hand side is picked. In another
instance, if Qtua-Ogbe
0 0
0 00
0 00
0 00
is revealed first and Otua- Ofun

38 Research in Yoruba Language and Literature 8 (1996)

Essays in Honour of Professor Wande Abimbola
0 0
0 00
0 0
0 0
is then revealed, the-right hand side is picked since the first of both minor Odu is the same (Otua).
We may keep on multiplying the examples above. Thus, the process of finding out details with the
use of the Ibo especially when a babalawo or a diviner divines all by himself, placing the ibo in the
open is as described above.
The second type of ibo technique may be compared to a secret ballot in an election. When a
babalawo is to divine for his client, he asks the client or -his trainee to conceal the pair of ibo
objects, one in each of his or her palms. lt is worthy of note that 'as the client or trainee sits facing the
diviner directly, his or her right hand normally faces the left of the diviner. Then, therefore, the
diviner or the babalawo casts the Opele as he often does, such that he would have picked the ibo on
the right. He would then ask the person holding the object to drop the Ibo on his left hand first.
Hence, the babalawo often says otun awo losi adibo' (the right hand of. the diviner is, the left of the
person who concealed the ibo). What this means is that the right hand of the diviner is directly
opposite the left hand of the client or anybody who holds the ibo and vice versa (Oyesanya 1986:6).
Before a babalawo starts casting, he hands over two out of a set of the ibo objects to the
client or someone else to be kept in each palm. The babalawo could not know which object is
concealed in the right palm and which is in the left whether it is a pair of cowries or a pair of bones).
When the babalawo casts the opele , he considers the position of the Odu that appears, as he has
done for .the technique of ibo Ifa senior Odu is revealed before a junior one, to hirri the ibo on the
right hand side is the answer to the question put to Orunmila, but the babalawo will ask the person
holding the ibo objects to drop the item in his or her left palm first. The reason for this practice is as
stated above, that, the babalawos right faces the left of client. Except the person holding the ibo
objects, no other person would be sure of the object to be dropped first when the babalawo says 'owo
otun tabi owo osi? (right or left hand?). The object may be the one depicting fortune or misfortune,
do or don't, yes or no. If the response of the divinity through the ibo is 'no', the process of casting will
be repealed several times and with different alternative till an affirmative response is received from
Orunmila.
4. 2 The Structure of Ifa Divination Process
_ Ifa divination process has a structural pattern which distinguishes it from any other forms of
divination among the Yoruba. In this study,Ifa divination process has been divided into three broad
structural parts, namely, prologue, narrative and epilogue (Akinnaso 1983).
The threefold division adopted here covers what happens from the moment the client enters
the babalawos house until he departs. The internal structure of the divination is as follows:
I The Prologue
{a) The preliminary exchange of greetings
{b) The client's intention expressed .
(c) The babalawo paying homage
(d) The babalawo divines for an Odu to emerge
II The Narrative
(e) The interpretation of the 0du sign
(f) The narration of related stones
(g) The explication of the message contained in ese Ifa
III The Epilogue
(h) The client's view of the revelation
(i ) The detailed findings with the use of ibo
(j) The prescription of sacrifice
(k) The performance of sacrifice
4.3 The Divination Practice

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Essays in Honour of Professor Wande Abimbola
Several Odu emerged during the series of Ifa divination processes watched and undertaken
during our research on this work. The following excerpt is one of the cases when Eji-Ogbe emerged.
This process would enable us to get the true picture of the three structural parts.
Ibere Prologue
Onibeere: Ago onile o/Aboruboye o! Client: salute the owner of this house!
Babalawo: Ago o ya o/Agbo, ato o! Babalawo: I salute you also!
Onibeere: E jowo, mo fe se ibeere ni /Mo Client: Please. I want to inquire something from
fe ba Ifa soro Ifa
Babalawo: (Awo gbe opele jade) E daniyan/ Client: (The priest brings out the divining chain)
E mu aniyan wa (Onibeere daniyan Make your intention known (the client
jeeje. Awo di opele mu laarin, o na an whispers his problem. The priest holds
the
siwaju re). divining chain in the middle and
stretches it forward)
Orunmila o gbo o, Akin-oosa. Orunmila you heard, Akin-oosa
Balogun lode orun, Qlumoran Iode Owo The officer in heaven, the knower in the town of
Owo
Arihin- in rohijn-un, One who does everything,
O gbo ohun to wi o, You heard what he said,
Iwo lawo, emi logberi, You are he who knows what is secret,
I am ignorant
Ohun to wi, iwo 1o gbo, emi o gbo What he said, you heard it, I did not hear it.
Bo ba ti ri ni o wi o, Tell exactly what you heard,
Ma fire pebi, ma fibi pere. Dont call a good thing a bad one nor a bad
One, a good one.
Iwaju opon, o gbo o, the front of the divining tray, you heard (what
we said),
Eyin opon, o gbo o , The back of the divining tray, you heard (what
we said),
Olumu lotun-un, Olukanran losi. Olumu on the right, Olukanran on the left.
Aarin opon, o gbo, ita orun. The middle of the divining tray, you heard
(what we said), open air in heaven.
Ile, o gbo Agbalagude The ground (praised) Agbalagude, you my
heard
Atiwaye ojo, atiwo oorun The dawn and the sunset
Aje, iwo naa gbo. The divinity of money, you also heard,
O gbo ohun ti olowo yii wi o. You heard what the owner of this money
said.
Ire! (Babalawo da Opele); Goodness! (the babalawo throws the
divination chain)
Eji-Ogbe, baba Ifa (odu to hu) Eji-Ogbe is the odu that emerged
Ire ni lfa loun ri. Ifa said he sees blessing.
Ire owo, aya, omo (awo gbe opele sanle) Is it blessing of money, wife and children?
(the Babalawo casts the opele)
'Bee ko', ni awo yii? (o gbe opele sanle This broken plate signifies No (he casts the
Opele a second time)
Owo otun (Owo eyo to duro fun 'bee ni' ni the right hand (the concealer dropped cowry

adibo/ onibeere koko ju sile) shells indicating ;Yes to the question).

Itan Ifa Narrative
Babalawo: (Awo bere sii so ohun ti Ifa wi. O n Babalawo: (The priest interprets and narrate

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Essays in Honour of Professor Wande Abimbola
Ki Ifa) Eni to da Eji-Ogbe, Ifa ni ki Ifa message) The person for whom Eji-
oniyen rubo. Ifa loun o nii je o te, Ifa Ogbe is cast, Ifa requested him to offer
loun o nii joju o ti i. Ifa Pe gbogbo ohun a sacrifice. Ifa said he would not let
ti eleeni ba dawo le ni o maa yori si daadaa. the person be disgraced. Ifa said
Ifa pe ki oniyen o rubo aje, korubo obinrin, whatever that person lay his hand on ko
rubo omo, pe ire to tori re dafa si, pe ire would be successful. Ifa instructed the
naa o sun un bo. person to perform sacrifice in respect
of money, wife, children, that he would
have all required blessing in abundance.
Edudu o wule du, The blackness was not merely blackened,
Okunkun o wule kun, Darkness was not merely darkened,
Jalagba lawo agbara jalagba was the priest of erosion,
A difa fun Atenilara awo osa Performed Ifa divination for Atenilara,
the priest of the lagoon.
Edudu o wule du, The blackness was-not merely blackened,
Okunkun o wule kun Darkness was not merely darkened.
Jalagba lawo agbara jalagba was the priest of erosion,
A difa fun Atenilara awo atan orni Performed Ifa divination for Atenilara,
the priesf of large water
Atenilara, awo okun Atenilara, the priest of the sea.
Eni ti o ba ni Iowo ko ni isinmi He who has no money has no rest of mind,
Bee ni ti awo osa So it was in the case of the priest of the
lagoon,
Bee ni ti atan omi The same was that of the large water.
Orunmila lo wa dafa pe awon atenilara yii, It was Orunmila that consulted his
Meteeta le pe foun, oun o le te bayii? Won priests whether he would have the three
ni ebo ni ko ru, Orunmila si rubo. in his possession, he would not be
disgraced? They instructed him
(Orunmila) to offer a sacrifice,
Orunmila performed the prescribed
sacrifice.
Atenilara awo okun loruko a a pe aje. Atenilara the priest of ocean is the name of
money.
Ifa ni ki eleeni o rubo aje. Ifa said the person should offer a sacrifice
because of money.
Atenilara awo osa loruko a a pe obinrin Atenilara the priest of lagoon is the name
of women.
Atenilara awo atan omi loruko a a pe omo Atenilara the priest of large water is the name of
children,
Ifa pe ki oniyen o rubo obinrin, Ifa instructed the person to offer a sacrifice
because of children.
Orunmila lowo lowo, o lobinrin, o si bimo, Orunmila had money, he had wives, and he
ni inu re wa dun ni n pe had children, he felt happy and began to sing:

Ori mi apere, My head is a good one,

Aya mi afobi kan My chest that is touched with Kolanut
Orisa-agbo ko ma ma je ki Atenilara o te mi Orisa-agbo, do not permit Atenilara to
o. disgrace me.

Ifa loun o ni je ki eleeni o te. Ifa pe oun o Ifa said that he would not let that person
O je ire o to oniyen lowo. Agbebo adie, oke be disgrace. Ifa said that the person would

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Essays in Honour of Professor Wande Abimbola
mef a, eku ati e-ja ni ebo re. be blessed. A hen, three naira, rat and
fish were then sacrifice to offer.
Ipari (Ikadii) Epilogue
Onibeere: E seun awo, Gbogbo ohun ti mo Client: Thank you the priest. You have
daniyan ni e ja, nigba ti e n kifa. Mo touched all things that I had in mind
setan lari ru ebo ti e ka sile fun mi. (Oni- I am now prepared to perform the
beere rubo. Babalawo si gbe ebo naa siwaju). prescribed sacrifice. (The client offers
the sacrifice and the babalawo places
the offering in his front)
Babalawo: Nigba ti a da Ifa fun Ajibade, Eji- Babalawo: ( directing his attention to the divinity)
Ogbe lo jade. O ni ire. Ire kin ni? O ni ire When we divined Ifa for Ajibade, Eji-
Aje, ire aya , ire omo. Kin la o se? O ni ebo Ogbe emerged. It said blessing of what?
Ni ki a ru. Ni igbona gbooru'lo ni ebo ti a It said blessings of money wives and
ka sile fun un. Ebo naa ni yii o, Ifa Je ko children. What shall we do? It said we
fin. Je ko da. Je lo to de ode orun. Je ki ebo were to offer a sacrifice. Instantly, he
re to owo Eledaa (Awo kifa lo bi ile bi eni) performed the prescribed sacrifice. This
Eji-Qgbe dakun ba ni se e. Fiye denu, Fiye is the Offer, Ifa please, let the sacrifice
dekun. Fiye de gbogbo ara. Olalekun, be accepted in heaven and let it reach the
Ominikun, Atatabiakun .... Creator (the priest narrated many related
stories). Eji-Ogbe, please, help assist us
and whole-heartedly support us in this
offer. Olalekun, Ominikun, Atatabiakun

Oyeku Meji wa a ba ni se e.... Oyeku Meji, please come and bless this
offer
Ko o fiye denu, ko o fiye dekun, ko o fiye Please, pardon us, whole heartedly,
de gbogbo ara. support us.
Eji Iwori wa a ba wa se e... Eji Iwori come and support us
Ogundabede waa ba wa se e... Ogundabede come and join us
Oyekulogbe waa ba wa se e, Oyekulogbe come and join us
Osetua waa ba wa se e Osetua come join us
Qkanransa waa gbebo naa Okanransa come and accept the sacrifice
Qkanransa awo oko lo difa foko Okanransa the priest of ground divined
for farm
Okanransa awo ile 1o difa funle Okanransa the priest of ground divined
for ground
Okanransa awo aso 1o difa faso Okanransa the priest of cloth divined
for cothes
Won la won meteeta o wa rubo. Oko rubo, The three of them were instructed to
Ile rubo, aso naa rubo. Won o ku, wo o run, offer sacrifice. He performed a
won n se: sacrifice. They neither died nor fell
sick, they started saying:
A i i gboku oko No one hears the death of a hoe
Ai i gboku aso No one hears the death of a cloth
Ai i gboku ile No one hears the death of the ground
Afi bo gbo It can only get old.
Je ki Ajibade o gbo kange, je ki o fapa jo, Let Ajibade grow very old, let him
je o ferigi jobi ... Okanran o niyo, o m boun dance with his arms (when he can no
o niyo, oun o gbonra sebo ( babalawo gbon longer stand to dance), let him eat
opele si ebo, o gbe ebole onibeere lowo). Kolanut when he is toothless
Gbogbo ohun to ba n fowo gba mu, ma je o Okanran has no salt, but it would shake

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Essays in Honour of Professor Wande Abimbola
baje. (Awo gbe ebo si ori ile). To ba kan ile its body over the sacrifice (the Ifa priest
tan, orun elebo nii lo (won gbe e lo idi esu). shakes opele on the sacrifice and places
the offering on the palms of the client)
whatever he handles, may it not be spoilt
(the priest places the offering on the
ground).Once it touches the ground, it
goes to the world beyond (the offering is
taken to the shrine of Esu outside the
priests house).
.
Adimula: (Babalawo ni ki onibeere dawo mejeeji Adimula: (The babalawo asks the client to cover
bo opele o bere si wure): the opele with .his palms, while he prays thus):
O gbo Ifa Adimula You hear, Ifa, Adimula
Biku ba n bo, bo o. When death is coming, cover him up.
Barun ba n bo, bo o. When disease is coming, cover him up.
Bese ba n bo, bo o. When a mischief is coming, cover him up.
Be gba ban bo, bo o. If paralysis is coming, cover him up.
Bire aje, ire aya, ire omo, ire aiku pari iwa But when the blessings of money, when
ba n bo, ko o si i sile (Onibeere si owo re children and long life are coming, un- cover
mejeeji to da de opele ) Eledaa o gbaajo o him. (The client removes the divining chain).
(adura ti babalawo gba ni ipari). May God accept the offering (the prayer the
babalawo said to end the divination).

5 The Sacrifice
Offering of sacrifice is a very important aspect in Ifa divination practice. Whether the
message of Ifa is good or sad, the inquirer must have to offer a sacrifice, for the Yoruba believe that a
sacrifice will help the inquirer to maintain the goodness and dispel the evil. In most cases, the clients
perform any prescribed sacrifice so that they may have the support and approval of the deities in their
undertakings. When divining for a client, the babalawo, in the course of narration comments on the
client's compliance as .follows;
O gbo riru ebo He was asked to perform a sacrifice
O ru He performed it
O gbo eru atukesu He was asked to make a sacrifice to Esu
O tu He did so
O gbo ikarara ebo ha fun un His sacrifice was readily accepted
(Abimbola 1968:21.39).

The above excerpt is the specific register expressing the hope that the present client would
learn from the past occurrence and thus perform the prescribed sacrifice. The blessings and the good
reward received by the past client after offering the prescribed sacrifice will surely encourage the
present client, to offer similar sacrifice. The offering .of sacrifice has to be emphasised because it is
on it the babalawo depends for his living, and parts' of the items of sacrifice would be given to other
divinities such as Ogun (the god of iron), Esu (the bailiff) and obatala (the god of creation), and if
need be, the people in the community.
When, on the other hand, the client refused to perform the prescribed sacrifice, the
appropriate expression on his (inquirer) attitude is often at the finger tips of the babalawo.
O pawo lekee He took his Ifa priest to.be liars
O pesu lole He took Esu for a thief
O worun yan yan yan He looks scornfully towards heaven
Bi eni ti o nii ku mo laye As if he would never die
O wa koti ogbon-in sebo He turned a deaf ear to his Ifa priest instruction about

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Essays in Honour of Professor Wande Abimbola
sacrifice.
(A common chant)
As mentioned before, Ifa tdivination is the most popular and most reliable system of finding
facts about the unknown People with shaky belief in this respect have themselves to blame. This is
why the babalawo keeps on warning the clients, emphasising the moral of his story and the great
importance of sacrifice.
Riru ebo nii gbe ni Sacrificing brings blessings
Airu kii gbeeyan. The neglect of it pays no man.
E wa ba ni ni wowo omo Come and join me where there are plenty of children.
Towards the end of a complete Ifa story, the babalawo describes the reaction of the client.
Here, the client is often reported to have expressed his joy for success after the performance of
sacrifice.
Ijo ni n jo He started to dance
Ayo ni n yo He started to rejoice
O n yin awon awo o re He started to praise his Ifa priests
Awon awo re n yin Fa While his lfa priests praised Ifa
O yanu koto As he opened his mouth
Orin awo 1o bo si i lenu The song of Ifa priests was what he uttered forth
Ese ti o na As he stretched his legs
Ijo faa Dance caught them
Agogo ni Iporo Gongs were beaten in iporo town
Aran ni lkija Aran drum was beaten at Ikija town
Opa kugukugu lojude Iserimogbe .. Drumsticks were used making melody at
Iserimogbe town.
The expression of joy and jubilation may hot be as full as given above. The usual pattern may simply
be lines-l-2, 3 -4 or 5-6 forming different type of the same aspect. The instruction of the babalawo to
his client for sacrifice can, however, be said to be memorizable. It may be structured.
Won ni o rubo nitori aje/omo/aya They asked him to perform sacrifice because of
money/children/wife
or Won ni o kaaki mole ebo ni o se They asked him to prepare to perform a sacrifice.
At times, the items of a sacrifice may be listed, as in:
Won ni o reku meji oluwere, He was asked to offer two fast-moving rats,
Ko reja meji abiwegbada, Two fish that swim with grace,
Obi die meji abedo lukeluke, Two hens with big livers,
Ewure meji abamu rederede. Two goats heavy with foetus.
(Abimbola 1968:22-23).
The patterns of instructing for sacrifice may vary: the variations are expressing the same idea. These
latter examples support the claim of Parry (1930) in the existence of series of formula that express
similar idea.
To the Yoruba, certain things are greatly valued. These are money, children, wife and all other
blessings of life. A client may be asked to offer a sacrifice for any one or all of these essential things.
Won ni o rubo nitori aje They instructed him to offer sacrifice because of money
Won ni o rubo nitori omo They instructed him to offer sacrifice because of children
Won ni o nibo nitori aya They instructed him to offer sacrifice because of wives
Won ni o rubo nitori ire They instructed him to offer sacrifice because of all
gbogbo. blessings.
it is Ifa that recommends the sacrifices and pass them to the gods or spirits that require them most
often through Esu, the Yoruba trickster god (of Abimbola 1976). The offering of sacrifices is
intended to have magical effect or the client and the outcome of this is psychological healing
achieved via the sacrificial objects.

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Essays in Honour of Professor Wande Abimbola
Just as it occurs in all spheres of Yoruba life, prayer may be offered to gods to grant good
health and blessings to a client. Supplications may be made to Ifa, Esu or some other divinities as
spirits in accompaniment of sacrifice offered by and on behalf of a client.
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45 Research in Yoruba Language and Literature 8 (1996)