Diviner’s Bag
Yoruba
Description
Subject Matter:
The elaborate beadwork seen on the regalia of Yoruba monarchs, or obas, is also found on some objects used by diviners, called babaláwo in the Yoruba language. Beads were not only a sign of wealth and status, but were also worn by those that had the power to mediate forces in odun, the otherworld of orisas (gods) and ancestors as well as the world of the living, or aye. Through the process of divination, called Ifa, diviners often travelled to different communities to help clients and seek knowledge, truth, and wisdom. To carry the items necessary for Ifa divination, diviners used heavily beaded bags, called apo ifa or apo ileke.
The designs in the beadwork may refer to various orisas that diviners identified in order for their clients to understand the forces behind current situations in their lives. The zigzag and checkerboard patterns may refer to the orisa of thunder, Shango. On the far left panel, the top image may be a chameleon; if so, it refers to the orisa Agemo, who took the form of a chameleon while on Earth. The design on the lower left panel may represent a bow and arrow; if so, it may refer to the orisa of hunting, Oshoosi. The face near the center of the bag is similar to the faces found on an oba's regalia. The pink, orange, brown, and yellow beads underneath the eyes may be facial marks in the abaja Olowu style, where three horizontal lines extend just beyond three vertical lines.
Bascom, H., Ifa Divination: Communication Between Gods and Men in West Africa, 1969
Doris, D., Yoruba Images and Aesthetics, 2004
Drewal, H., Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought, 1989
Drewal, H. and Mason, J., Beads Body and Soul, 1998
Pemberton, J., African Beaded Art: Power and Adornment, 2008
Thompson, R. F., Flash of the Spirit, 1983
Physical Description:
Cloth bag covered with multi-colored beadwork. The front is split into four asymetric panels; the far left has what may be a bow and arrow surmounted by a chameleon on a blue background; the next panel has a round face with triangle and checkerboard patterns; the next panel has a pattern of horizontal zig-zags; the far right panel has blue and white checkerboard pattern, except for one area that has a pink and orange checkerboard design. The inside also has a cloth lining, which may be adire or aso oke cloth.
Usage Rights:
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