Carved Yoruba ritual bowl, Nigeria, 1880-1920

Made:
1880-1920 in Nigeria
maker:
Yoruba people
Carved wooden divination bowl called "Adjeke Ifa" or Adjelefa Carved wooden divination bowl called "Adjeke Ifa" or Adjelefa

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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Carved wooden divination bowl called "Adjeke Ifa" or Adjelefa
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Carved wooden divination bowl called "Adjeke Ifa" or Adjelefa
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Carved 'Adjella Ifa' (Ifa ritual bowl), in the form of a woman - carrying a child on her back - kneeling, and offering the bowl in respect to Ifa, the god of divination. The (detachable) lid of the bowl is in the form of a hen. Palm nuts used by Yoruba diviners are stored in the bowl. Yoruba people, Nigeria, 1880-1920

An adjella ifa, a bowl to store the palm nuts used by diviners of the Yoruba people of Nigeria. This particular object is shaped in the form of a woman carrying a child, kneeling in respect to Ifa, the god of divination. The diviner seeks information from Ifa to help answer questions about an illness.

Details

Category:
Ethnography and Folk Medicine
Collection:
Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
Object Number:
A123603
Materials:
wood
type:
ritual object and divination bowl
credit:
Addison, W.

Parts

Carved Adjella Ifa ritual bowl, Yoruba

Carved Adjella Ifa ritual bowl, Yoruba

Carved 'Adjella Ifa' (Ifa ritual bowl), in the form of a woman - carrying a child on her back - kneeling, and offering the bowl in respect to Ifa, the god of divination. Palm nuts used by Yoruba diviners are stored in the bowl. Yoruba people, Nigeria, 1880-1920

Measurements:
overall: 323 mm x 197 mm x 260 mm, 1.028 kg
Materials:
wood
Object Number:
A123603/1
type:
ritual object and divination bowls
Lid in form of hen, for carved adjella ifa ritual bowl, Nigeria, 1880-1920

Lid in form of hen, for carved adjella ifa ritual bowl, Nigeria, 1880-1920

Detachable lid of bowl in the form of a hen, for 'Adjella Ifa' (Ifa ritual bowl), in the form of a woman - carrying a child on her back - kneeling, and offering the bowl in respect to Ifa, the god of divination. Yoruba people, Nigeria, 1880-1920

Materials:
wood
Object Number:
A123603/2
type:
ritual object and divination-bowl