Oracle board "opon ifa" ·  Nigéria, Yoruba · ID: 3037924

Description

wood, middle brown patina, kaolin, incised geometrical decor, the chubby-cheeked face of “eshu” on top, slightly dam., traces of insect caused damage (above all backside);
the “ifa” figures, lateron used for soothsaying, were marked within wood flour “iyerosun” (produced by termites) spread on the tray. “Ifa” is the mediator, enabling men to communicate with the deity “orunmila”.