Robe of a Babalawo (detail)
19th century. Beads, cowrie shells & cloth. Nigeria (Yoruba)
Image courtesy of the Savannah African Art Museum.
Items, such as the Opon Ifá – divination trays – summarizes key traits of the Yoruba religion, Ifá.
The Yoruba live in city-states in what is today Nigeria and the People’s Republic of Benin (not to be confused with the Edo state of Benin in Nigeria). Their culture dates back to 800 C.E. to 1000 C.E. with the city-states of Ife and Oyo. The Yoruba consider Ifá to be the origin of life itself, boasting a line of kings that remains unbroken to this day. Ife, the home of the Ifá religion, has spread its dieties, known as -orisha- across the region and even as far as Cuba. The Opon Ifá provides a glimpse into this millennium old religion.
The Opon Ifá is a divination tray used as a portal to centuries of accumulated wisdom. Opon means to flatter and is meant to flatter the orisas, especially the great mediator Eshu. While and Opon Ofa may be covered with a great variety of symbols, it will always have symbols that relate to Eshu. It is though Eshu that the everyday world communicates with spirits and ancestors. The priest who uses the Opon Ifá is called a Babalawo, which translates to “father of wisdom”. By using proverbs revealed on the Opon Ifá tray, he helps to reveal solutions to a client’s conundrum.
Bibliography:
Drewal, H. J., Abiodun, R., Pemberton, J., & Wardwell, A. (1989). Yoruba: Nine centuries of African art and thought. New York, NY: Center for African Art in association with H.N. Abrams.
By Maxime Mballa-Tagny.