6. DIVINATION CUP

Yoruba, Nigeria Wood H. 10 in

Yoruba sculptors carve several of the implements that diviner-priests (babalawo) use in the Ifa divination ritual to consult Orunmila, the god of wisdom. The Yoruba seek Orunmila's help to understand the cause of misfortune or to secure blessings and advice on significant undertakings. Ifa divination implements include a wooden or ivory tapper (iroke Ifa) with which to signal the deity; a wooden or, rarely, ivory container (agere Ifa) for the 16 sacred palm nuts that are manipulated during the ritual; and a wooden board or tray (opon Ifa) on which the diviner makes the mark(s) of an odu, the corpus of verses that prescribe the action necessary to assure success. Although Ifa divination is a system of religious practice, the iconography of its sculpture is not limited to religious themes. This cup, for example, is supported on the head of a woman, kneeling in devotion, gently cupping her breasts. This form reflects the Yoruba sculptorÕs idealization and appreciation of womanhood.

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