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14. Ifa Divination Tapper (Iroke Ifa)
Yoruba, Nigeria
Ivory; H. 42 cm (16 1/2 in.)
18th century
Laboratoire d'Ethnologie, Musée de L'Homme, Paris

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14. Ifa Divination Tapper (Iroke Ifa)

he divination tapper (iroke Ifa) is an essential tool for Yoruba diviners, used to initiate the Ifa divination ritual by invoking the god of fate, Orunmila.1 At the beginning of a consultation, the priest gently taps the divination tray with the iroke Ifa as a form of greeting.2 By attracting Orunmila's attention through this action and through the tapper's pleasing visual form, he opens the necessary channels of communication with the spirit world. (See part 4 of the Pemberton essay.)

Ifa tappers are sometimes made of copper alloy or wood, but are usually carved out of ivory. Most of them are composed of three distinct sections: a middle section that frequently features a sculpted image of a human figure, in contrast to the pointed and hollow ends, which feature animal images or geometric patterns, or may be without any exterior design or decoration at all.3 The aesthetic beauty invested in the elaboration of an especially lovely instrument is perceived to be tangible proof of its owner's devotion, like an offering or a prayer, thus enhancing the efficacy of the appeal.4

In this classic example, the pointed end of the tusk is carved in the form of a bird's beak, and the bird is balanced on the head of a kneeling female figure represented in the tusk's middle section. The hollow end is plain, except for a series of closely spaced grooves just below the figure, and inside it is an ivory clapper attached to a bar. A series of carved loops around the circumference, above and below the figure, once held small ivory rattles. The curve of the work's overall contour and the fluidity of the female figure extended by the upward orientation of the bird, with its wings folded at its sides, combine to give the representation a soaring quality.

In Ifa ritual paraphernalia, images of women in attitudes of reverence are believed to act as ideal intermediaries with the gods (orisa), since women are regarded as being receptacles for life force (ase). Representations of nude female figures in a kneeling position are conceived of as women praying and serve as a visual metaphor for all suppliants who seek Orunmila's wisdom in order to clarify their understanding of their personal destinies. The figure's nakedness suggests the state in which one communicates with the Creator. This is reinforced by the fact that kneeling in deference is associated with the beginning of a person's existence, when he or she kneels before the Creator, Olodumare, to receive his or her personal destiny—an action that is subsequently repeated in consultations throughout that individual's lifetime to obtain guidance in fulfulling that destiny. As an appropriate attitude for saluting the orisa, the kneeling position is also associated with childbirth and the procreative power of women, on which all human life depends.5

The pointed section of the iroke Ifa, even when it is a plain conical segment extending from the crown of a figure's head, refers to the concept of ori. Ori is a person's "destiny," which in Yoruba philosophy comprises his or her past, present, and future. The juxtaposition of head and cone alludes to the distinction between one's visible head (ori ode)—that is, one's actual being—and inner head (ori inu)—one's unrealized potential.6 In this version, the abstract concept of destiny is in the form of a bird, which also refers to the hidden powers of women alluded to in the central image.

Beyond its role in bridging both realms, the fine quality of its carving and the costly nature of the material of this iroke Ifa attest to the social rank and professional success of the diviner who owned it. A dozen other tappers have been attributed to the Owo author or workshop that produced this particular work.7 Acquired in Abomey, the capital of the kingdom of Dahomey, by General Alfred-Amédée Dodds during the French conquest of Dahomey in 1892–93, it was undoubtedly one of many important Ifa implements commissioned by the Dahomean monarchy from their Yoruba neighbors.8

1. See cat. no. 12, n. 3.

2. Black Gods and Kings 1976, p. 5/1.

3. Yoruba 1989, p. 109.

4. Henry John Drewal, "Art and Divination among the Yoruba: Design and Myth," Africana Journal 14, nos. 2–3 (1987), p. 139.

5. Yoruba 1989, p. 111.

6. Ibid.

7. African Masterpieces 1985, p. 138; and see cat. no. 15.

8. Blier 1998, p. 90.