| Name |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
|
| Ogbe |
O |
O |
O |
O |
| Oyeku |
E |
E |
E |
E |
| Iwori |
E |
O |
O |
E |
| Obara |
O |
E |
E |
E |
| Okanran |
E |
E |
E |
O |
| Irosun |
O |
O |
E |
E |
| Owonrin |
E |
E |
O |
O |
| Ogunda |
O |
O |
O |
E |
| Osa |
E |
O |
O |
O |
| Irete |
O |
O |
E |
O |
| Otura |
O |
E |
O |
O |
| Oturupon |
E |
E |
O |
E |
| Ika |
E |
O |
E |
E |
| Ose |
O |
E |
O |
E |
| Ofun |
E |
O |
E |
O |
Ifá is a system
of divination that originated in West Africa among the
Yoruba people. The system is also practised among
believers in Santería, Candomblé, and similar
transplanted African traditional religions in the New
World.
The oracle consists of a group of palm nuts or cowrie
shells, or replicas of these, which are thrown to create
binary data, depending on whether they land upright or
reversed. The nuts are cast between the diviner's hands,
and at last counted, to determine whether an odd or an
even number of them has been retained. The shells or
their replicas are often strung on a divining chain,
four to each side. Four such throws or shells make one
of the sixteen basic patterns (an odu in the Yoruba
language); two of these combine to create a total set of
256 odus. Each of these odus is associated with a
traditional set of verses, often relating to Yoruba
mythology, which explain their divinatory meaning. The
system is sacred to the gods Orunmila, god of prophecy,
and Eshu, who as messenger of the gods lends his
authority to the oracle.
Where O is an odd count or a "heads" result, and E is an
even count or a "tails" result, the sixteen basic
patterns and their Yoruba names are set forth in the
sidebar.
The entire system bears a superficial resemblance to
Western systems of geomancy. It is suspected by some
that Western geomancy was borrowed from a version of the
system borrowed by Arabs and carried to North Africa,
where it was learned by Europeans during the Crusades.
Though the number of symbols is different, the system
also bears some resemblance to the Chinese I Ching
divination system.
Names
Ifa priests and worshippers among the Yoruba people or
those who belive in Ifa bear names related with Ifa,
always starting with the word Ifa like Ifadairo ,
Ifabiyi, Ifadare, etc.
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