“Writing” and “Reference” in Ifá Divination Chants

• Issue: Volume 25, Number 2
• Author(s): Adélékè Adéẹ̀kọ́
• Article: View PDF | Download PDF
• Citation: http://journal.oraltradition.org/issues/25ii/adeeko

Abstract

The 256 graphic inscriptions (odù), and the infinite number of illustrative narratives (ẹsẹ) that they generate, constitute the two main parts of Ifá divination protocols. However, the narratives do not adhere coherently to durable patterns that attach to specific inscriptions. This paper argues that the storytelling freedom exercised by diviners decouples interpretation from “writing” and creates room for individually authored therapeutic commentaries. “Writing” links the present to the past, but storytelling keeps them apart.

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