Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art

About this Work

Yoruba people use Ifa divination to communicate with deities and other spiritual forces that they believe are instrumental in determining the course of events in the lives of individuals on earth. Through Ifa divination, people determine how best to live their lives. A priest, or babalawo, performs the divination for a client, using palm nuts or a divining chain to create a pattern of lines on a board that directs the priest to a verse in the oral literature associated with Ifa. The verses suggest to petitioners the particular spiritual powers at work, the appropriate sacrifices to make, and the courses of action to follow.

When not in use, small heads such as this are sometimes kept in a divination cup with palm nuts used during divination.