Nigerian Yoruba People Ifá Divination Tray: "Opon Ifá"

This is a Nigerian Yoruba People divination tray, called "opon Ifá", used by the diviner-priest in the complex Yoruba ritual of divination. Ifá divination relies on a system of signs that are interpreted by a diviner, called "babalawo." The large face on this tray represents an Esu, a messenger from the gods.

Although the Yoruba today are primarily Christian and Muslim, they still practice rituals of their ancestral faith. The Ifá divination system is applied whenever an important individual or collective decision has to be made.

The ancient Yoruba religion has an elaborate hierarchy of deities with a supreme creator god and up to four hundred lesser deities and spirits that take charge of different aspects of life.

Through the divination process, the diviner can make decisions, sacrifices, and seek solutions to serious problems with the help of ancestors and gods. In this way, the diviner acts as a fortune teller, a healer and a law giver, helping to guide the "customer" into the future.

The priest places irosun powder over the tray and draws the tray into nine sections, with each section representing an ancient ancestor. He praises and honors each ancient before asking specific questions and casting kola nuts across the tray to seek answers.
Source:
https://noma.org/collection/ifa-divination-tray-opon-ifa/
https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/ifa-divination-system-00146