Cleveland Museum of Art

Divination Tray (ọpọ́n Ifá)

Date

1900s

Medium

wood

Culture

Africa, West Africa, Nigeria, Yorùbá-style maker

Department

African Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

In Ifa divination, the priest sprinkles wood powder over the smooth inner surface of a wooden tray. As the sacred palm nuts are cast, the diviner records the results by marking the powder with an ivory tapper. The markings reveal the proper chants to be recited. The four faces carved on the tray's rim portray Esu, who bears sacrifices to the gods, and oversees the divination ritual. The kneeling figures are probably petitioners; one has a leashed animal for sacrifice. Other motifs include turtles, curled mudfish, and snails. These creatures, which can survive on land or in water, are symbols of the diviner's ability to connect the human and spiritual realms.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.