Source citation ledger
Ifa Divination
William Bascom
book · 1969
William Bascom, Ifa Divination: Communication between Gods and Men in West Africa.
Ifa Divination: Communication between Gods and Men in West Africa
These are separate Atlas meetings that cite this source. Citation is not proof.
Yoruba Ifá
Eshu belongs to Yoruba Ifá.
Bascom’s account of Ifá places Eshu at the opening of the rite: messages do not pass without him.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Eshu is used in Divination.
Ifá communication, as Bascom describes it, requires Eshu as messenger between client, babaláwo, and òrìṣà. This is not Delphi and not tarot.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Eshu is associated with Trickster.
Eshu tests, misdirects, and opens roads. Calling him “the Yoruba trickster” is a comparative label; the òrìṣà is not Hermes in another hat.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Because Eshu can open or close a path, fortune in Ifá is partly a matter of whether the messenger is correctly acknowledged.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Divination belongs to Yoruba Ifá.
Ifá, as Bascom describes it, is a named West African system of verses and lots. It is not a dialect of Greek oracles.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Yoruba Ifá is connected to Oracle.
English often calls Ifá an oracle. The comparison is a translation convenience; Ifá is a verse-and-lot system with a babaláwo, not a Pythia on a tripod.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Lots is used in Yoruba Ifá.
Ifá, as Bascom describes it, uses palm nuts or a chain to produce a figure for which verses are recited. The lots are Yoruba equipment.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Opon Ifá is used in Yoruba Ifá.
Bascom describes the opon Ifá as the carved tray on which Ifá lots are cast. Instrument of that ethnography’s Ifá, not cowrie-as-lot and not a tarot table.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Ikin is used in Yoruba Ifá.
Bascom describes ikin, the sacred palm nuts of Ifá, as the lots cast on the tray. Instrument of that ethnography’s Ifá, not the opele chain and not the opon Ifá board.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Opele is used in Yoruba Ifá.
Bascom describes the opele as the divining chain of Ifá, used when the palm-nut set is not cast. Instrument of that ethnography’s Ifá, not the opon Ifá tray and not ikin.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Bascom describes the opele chain as the Ifá instrument that falls into a figure when the palm nuts are not cast. A named lots-chain of that ethnography, not ikin, and not the opon Ifá tray.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Cup is used in Yoruba Ifá.
Bascom’s apparatus chapter seats the carved wooden (and brass) divining cup — agere Ifá / ajele Ifá — as the vessel that holds the palm nuts for Ifá. A named cup instrument of that ethnography’s Ifá, not the divining bowl alone and not a grail dump.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Bell is used in Yoruba Ifá.
Bascom’s apparatus chapter seats the divining bell or tapper — irọ Ifá / irọke — tapped against the tray to call Ifá’s attention. A named bell instrument of that ethnography’s Ifá, not agogo as a music double-bell and not a church-bell dump.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Ivory is used in Yoruba Ifá.
Bascom’s apparatus plates and text seat ivory among Ifá gear: carved ivory tapper-bells, ivory or elephant-bone decorative heads kept with the palm nuts, and ivory spheroids used as nut substitutes. A named ivory material use in that ethnography’s Ifá, not Pliny pharmacy ivory and not bone alone.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Bone is used in Yoruba Ifá.
Bascom’s apparatus chapter seats elephant bone among carved heads (ọla / irin) kept with the sixteen palm nuts and among bone spheroids used as nut substitutes beside ivory. A named bone material use in that ethnography’s Ifá, not ivory as tusk alone and not relic-bone dumps.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Brass is used in Yoruba Ifá.
Bascom’s apparatus chapter seats brass among preferred opele chain links, cast brass divining cups, brass tapper-bells, and even a verse-named brass tray. A named brass material use in that ethnography’s Ifá, not bronze as tin-copper flatten and not agogo as a music-bell dump.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Staff is used in Yoruba Ifá.
Bascom’s plates and diviners’ chapters seat the iron staff — ọ̀rẹ̀rẹ̀ — among Ifá diviners’ insignia, carried and set with palm fronds at Ifá festival compounds. A named staff of that ethnography’s Ifá, not oshe-shango as Shango’s dance-axe and not a generic walking-stick dump.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Charm is used in Yoruba Ifá.
Bascom’s apparatus and medicines chapters seat awure luck charms and protective or retaliatory medicines among the small made things Ifá practice prepares and deploys beside the cast. A named charm use in that ethnography’s Ifá, not cowrie-luck modern charm-talk already kept apart and not a shop-amulet dump.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Bascom places the carved face of Eshu on the opon Ifá rim and orients the tray so Eshu looks at the diviner; Ifá communication requires Eshu’s opening. A named tray dedication to Eshu in that ethnography, not cowrie-as-lot and not a courtesy reverse onto the òrìṣà.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Bascom’s trays carve the face of Eshu on the rim — a depiction that orients the board so the messenger faces the diviner. A named represent job of the tray’s carving in that ethnography, not sacred_to dedication alone and not identity of tray and òrìṣà.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Bascom’s sacrifices chapter seats offerings to the shrine of Eshu — a rough laterite chunk (yangi) outside Ifá compounds — unless a verse specifies otherwise. A named Eshu offering-place in that ethnography, not the opon Ifá tray as altar flatten and not a generic temple-altar dump.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Altar appears in Yoruba Ifá.
Bascom’s Ifá ethnography seats offering-shrines — especially Eshu’s outdoor laterite shrine receiving the prescribed sacrifices — inside the ritual landscape of that divination craft. A named altar presence in that ethnography’s Ifá, not Hellenic Pausanias altars and not KF offerings churn alone.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Opon Ifá is used in Divination.
Bascom describes the opon Ifá as the carved tray on which figures are marked in powder during the cast — the board of that divination craft. A named tray use in divination in that ethnography, not used_in→yoruba-ifa already filed and not a tarot table.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Ikin is used in Divination.
Bascom describes ikin, the sixteen sacred palm nuts, as the primary lots manipulated to produce Ifá figures. A named palm-nut use in that divination craft, not used_in→yoruba-ifa already filed and not opele as the chain alternative.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Opele is used in Divination.
Bascom describes the opele chain as the alternate casting instrument that yields an Ifá figure when the palm nuts are not used. A named chain use in that divination craft, not used_in→yoruba-ifa or used_in→lots already filed.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Cup is used in Divination.
Bascom seats the agere Ifá cup as the container that holds the palm nuts through the morning invocation and cast — vessel furniture of that divination craft. A named cup use in divination in that ethnography, not used_in→yoruba-ifa alone and not a libation-grail dump.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Bell is used in Divination.
Bascom seats the irọ Ifá tapper-bell as struck on the tray to open the session — sounding furniture of that divination craft. A named bell use in divination in that ethnography, not used_in→yoruba-ifa alone and not a music agogo flatten.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Ikin is sacred to Yoruba Ifá.
Bascom states that sacrifices to Ifá are offered to his sixteen palm nuts, as Shango’s are offered to thunder-celts — the nuts receive the rite as Ifá’s sacred set. A named sacred job of ikin in that ethnography, not used_in instrument already filed and not opele as the chain.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Ivory is historically related to Bell.
Bascom’s apparatus plates pair ivory with the irọ Ifá tapper-bell — wealthier diviners have bells carved of ivory. A named ivory–bell material meeting in that ethnography, not identity of ivory and bell and not brass bells alone.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Brass is historically related to Cup.
Bascom’s apparatus plates include a brass divining cup cast by lost wax among the agere Ifá vessels that hold the nuts. A named brass–cup meeting in that ethnography, not wooden cups alone and not bronze flatten.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Brass is historically related to Opele.
Bascom describes preferred opele chains made with circular brass links set at right angles so the seed halves fall freely. A named brass–opele meeting in that ethnography, not the seed pods as a missing seed object invent and not the tray.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Brass is historically related to Bell.
Bascom notes wealthier diviners’ irọ Ifá tapper-bells cast in brass beside ivory examples. A named brass–bell meeting in that ethnography, not ivory-bell alone and not agogo music-bell flatten.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Bone is historically related to Ivory.
Bascom’s Plate 1A pairs carved heads of ivory and of elephant bone among the decorative irin kept with the palm-nut set — neighboring hard materials of the same apparatus shelf. A named bone–ivory keep-apart in that ethnography, not identity of the two substances.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Ivory is historically related to Ikin.
Bascom records ivory spheroids and carved ivory ‘nuts’ used as substitutes for the sixteen palm nuts in some sets and traveler reports. A named ivory–ikin neighborhood in that ethnography, not a claim that ivory is ikin and not opele as the chain.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Cowrie is historically related to Opon Ifá.
Bascom’s session setup places the seventeenth nut and related pieces on a ring of cowries called the money of Ifá (aje Ifá) beside the divining tray. A named cowrie–tray neighborhood in that ethnography, not cowrie-ifa lots use already filed and not Atlantic currency.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Cup is historically related to Opon Ifá.
Bascom’s morning invocation seats the divining cup on and beside the tray — nuts raised from the cup, powder on the board — as paired apparatus of one session. A named cup–tray neighborhood in that ethnography, not identity of vessel and board and not the bowl as a missing id.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Bell is historically related to Opon Ifá.
Bascom’s irọ Ifá is tapped against the divining tray to call Ifá — bell and board as paired sounding and marking furniture of the cast. A named bell–tray neighborhood in that ethnography, not identity and not agogo.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Staff is historically related to Opon Ifá.
Bascom’s diviners’ insignia seat the ọ̀rẹ̀rẹ̀ iron staff among Ifá compound and festival gear that stands with the tray-and-nuts craft without being the tray itself. A named staff–tray neighborhood in that ethnography, not oshe-shango and not claiming the staff is a casting instrument.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Yoruba Ifá · Yoruba culture · West Africa
Cowrie is used in Yoruba Ifá.
Ifá divination as Bascom describes it uses palm nuts and related apparatus; cowries appear in Yoruba and neighboring lots-practices. Shell as a divinatory piece is not Atlantic currency.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Yoruba Ifá · Yoruba culture
Casting cowries is a lots-technique in several West African and diaspora practices. Method-type, not one rite and not a slave-trade ledger.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
used in · partially sourced · documented
Eshu is associated with Cowrie.
Eshu as Ifá’s messenger belongs to the same West African ritual world in which cowries can be lots. Do not make Eshu a coin.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Yoruba culture contains Yoruba Ifá.
Ifá is an institution among Yoruba-speaking peoples. The culture is not identical with the divinatory system.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Yoruba culture · West Africa
Yoruba culture appears in West Africa.
Yoruba-speaking communities are of West Africa. Geography, not a world-spirit.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969
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Cowrie appears in Yoruba culture.
Cowries circulate in Yoruba and neighboring economies and rites. Culture is not identical with Ifá and not identical with the Atlantic ledger.
from William Bascom · Ifa Divination, 1969; Jan Hogendorn and Marion Johnson · The Shell Money of the Slave Trade, 1986
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