African art is known to be different from any Western artistic tradition, simply because African art is created on the basis that the form and the aesthetics of the work come second behind the actual function of the work. A great example of this is African art whose main function is divination. Divination, defined by Alisa LaGamma in “The Art and the Oracle: African Art and Divination Rituals,” is the effort to predict future events or discover hidden knowledge by supernatural means. African divination work is created as a bridge between the living and ancestral spiritual realms. This bridge does not depend on the aesthetics of the work, but shows the merits of the diviner, which help to increase the client's confidence in the practice. Divination relies heavily on the wisdom of the diviner, who is usually trained from a young age, to interpret answers to his clients' concerns and problems. This wisdom through interpretation focuses on the ability to combine worldly observation skills with cultural traditions to "see" the answers. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The history of divination revolves around the oral traditions and stories of participating cultures, creating a myriad of different practices. Divination began to become fashionable because people of different cultures began to seek the divine to understand their destiny, although this is not the only reason for divination. We begin to see a trend in divination, as it deals directly with the universal concern of human suffering. The human condition is the primary focus, dealing with physical affliction, death, social conflict, destructive forces of nature, and uncertainty affecting the community. (John Pemberton III, “The Art and the Oracle,” Divination in Sub-Saharan Africa, p. 10) The most popular reasons why divination is practiced are the search for the meaning of life and the ability to discern personal destiny. E.M. Zuesse described divination as having three different types: intuitive divination, in which the diviner spontaneously sees or knows reality or the future; possession, where a spiritual being communicates through intermediary agents, such as the diviner or the artwork itself; and wisdom divination, in which the diviner decodes seemingly random patterns found in nature. I will focus on the art of divination and oracle in Yoruba, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, bringing to life the stories that cement divination practices to real-world realities and explaining how different works of art are used in the divination process of every culture. Yoruba divination practices can be best explained through the Oyo culture which practices fusion under Ifa divination. The Oyo culture submerged after the Ife culture, but remained characteristic of the Yoruba standard with its urban lifestyle and political system of sacred rulers. These standards are upheld through Ifa divination practices because Ifa priests, called Babalawo or “father of secrets,” fulfill the personal destinies of those who come to them by interpreting the odu Ifa, “a vast body of oral literature containing the wisdom of the Yoruba” (LaGamma, page 17). We see the political devotion to Ifa when we view the Ifa divination tray (Opon Ifa) in LaGamma's "The Art and the Oracle". This specific divination tray is a wooden sculpture that once belonged to the king of Ardra, a state under the Yoruba. The actual possession of the tray suggests that it may have been used forfortify and protect the power of the Yoruba state. The Yoruba Bibeli, in an online text published by the University of African Arts, states that the Ifa oracle is infallible and tells nothing but the truth. This increases the confidence of the Yoruba people in divination practices. Divination, ironically, is based instead on the interpretation of signs and oracular powers; this means that the priest is the final call and that his wisdom of the signs determines the outcome of the divination. Divination begins with the Ifa interpretation of the universe in terms of two halves of a closed gourd. We see these two halves represented in Carved Calabash, a gourd that has been scraped, halved, dried, and carved to reflect the realm of the living (aye) and the realm of the spiritual (orun). This work “expresses the Yoruba cosmos as a union of structurally equal and autonomous elements, repeatedly found as guiding principles in other artifacts.” (LaGamma, page 36) The actual act of casting is based on 16 pine nuts, or the 16 signs of the odu, which connect diviners to Orunmila, the "High God" who holds the secrets of the odu for a total of 256 odu. The practice of divination begins with the diviner inviting Orunmila and an ancient Babalawo to witness the process with a capper. LaGamma displays the Ifa Divination Tapper (Iroke Ifa), a carved ivory staff that the diviner taps on the divination tray to invoke Orunmila, in his exhibition "Art and the Oracle" (pp. 38-39). Next, the diviner shakes the 16 pine nuts with his cupped hands and holds them in one hand and attempts to grasp the group with his left hand. Depending on how many pine nuts remain in the left hand, the diviner will draw lines in the divination powder. After eight successful casts of a similar nature, the pattern in the dust will represent one of 256 odu stories. This concludes the cast, allowing the diviner to respond to the client's concerns based on the corresponding odu story. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is the powerful Kingdom of Kongo. This realm is based on the Kongo cosmogram, or the cycle through which the universe rotates. This graphic shows the recycling of souls through birth, life, death and rebirth in the form of a diamond, present on several artefacts throughout the history of the DRC, when depicted on maternity figures, nkisi nkondi or staffs. "Royal Arts of Africa: The Majesty of Form" states that the Kongo Kingdom was very interested in the realm of the dead, relating to the Kongo Cosmogram where one passes to the realm of the dead through a body of water. (p. 202) This refers to the nature of the Kuba, Luba, and Yombe peoples who place great importance on connecting with the spirit realm in their divinatory practices. Starting from the Luba culture of the DRC, we see a strong reliance on oral tradition to impose divinatory practices. Mijibu wa Kalenga, a spirit medium who helped Kalala Flunga, son of a prince, defeat his tyrant uncle after his father's death, making him the king of the Luba. This corresponds directly to the divination that selects the ruler of the Luba after the death of the former. Mijibu also determines how the diviners Bilumbu and Mbudye, "men of memory", derive their power. The Bilumbu, in particular, derive their authority from the ability to be grasped (kukwata) by spirits through spirit possession, the main divinatory practice of the Luba and the use of an axe. Ceremonial Axe: Female Heads (Kibiki or Kasolwa) (LaGamma, pages 59-60) shows an example of a carved wood and forged metal axe. The story of Mijibu is shown through the Royal Spear: Female Figure (Mulumba) on page 70 of LaGamma's catalog “The Art and the Oracle”. This royal spear, made of wood and metal, shows a statuette of a womanas a ship between two different worlds (metal and wooden parts, in the representation). This idea directly corresponds to the Luba idea that women are the vessels of spiritual power between reality and the realm of the spirit. Mijibu's story is depicted in the sculpture form because Mijibu informed Kalala that his uncles were planning to push him into a spear pit, so Kalala was saved and pierced his uncle with his spear and became the rightful leader of the Luba. Luba's spiritual possession begins with the combination of percussive instruments and chants that allow the diviner spirit to open up to divination. Once possessed, the diviner takes on the identity of the spirit that possesses him, drawing drawings on his body with chalk and dressing in beads, furs and bands whose decorative motifs represent the power of the possessing spirit. If the fortune teller is male, his wife sits to his right and a sculpture of a seated or kneeling woman holding a bowl goes to his left. The bowl-bearing woman (Mboko) is shown in the LaGamma catalogue, capturing an example of how knowledge and divination are displayed in Luba culture. This sculpture is made of engraved clay and would have been fundamental in the divination of spirits because it contains the pearls and chalk that the diviner uses once possessed. We also see, once again, the idea that women are vessels between the two kingdoms. After the initial possession is completed, the client asks the diviner questions, which the diviner answers after consulting the possessing spirit and shaking the Mboko vessel. Once the consultation is completed, the diviner interprets the configuration of the elements that appeared at the top of the shaken Mboko and creates a solution to the client's problem. Divination Kit: Gourd and Elements (LaGamma, p. 46) provides an example of a similar vessel used in spirit divination in Songye, Democratic Republic of Congo. Although it differs slightly from Luba divination, we can use it to look more closely at the elements found within the shaken gourd, to provide greater understanding of the divination process. Finally, the Yombe culture, a Kongo subculture, also derives its artifacts and divination practices from the Kongo cosmogram. Nkisi Nkondi figures represent the Kongo cosmogram because they are direct links between the spiritual realm and reality. Minkisi/nkisi means medicine, which plays on the figure's purpose of resolving physical and social crises by restoring spiritual balance between the two realms. There are many different types of nkisi figures, but more attention should be paid to nkisi nkondi. Minkondi/nkondi means hunter, which is also related to its purpose, to hunt down those who have compromised or unbalanced the spiritual balance. We see the nkisi nkondi typically used to seek moral revelation or expose witches, thieves, adulterers, and other wrongdoers. Nkisi Nkondi are perceived as, in a sense, hosting a spirit, so they are considered dangerous and extremely delicate. Only banganga/nganga, ritual experts, can perform them due to their vast knowledge and wisdom about different spirits and protection against their anger. The nganga are those who expose the transgressors, on behalf of the victims. The role of the diviners comes into play when the actual consultations take place. During a consultation with a diviner and a Nkisi Nkondi figure, one would present one's own crisis to begin the consultation. The diviner will have added materials in the stomach, back and head that are considered “medicines” that evoke the spirit and lead it to face the crisis presented. A specific depiction of a Nkisi Nkondi is shown in "The Art and the Oracle" by.