The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 24, 2024

Ifá diviner's necklace (òdìgbà Ifá)

Ifá diviner's necklace (òdìgbà Ifá)

1900s

Did You Know?

Look closely at the minuscule beads used to make the complex patterns of this multicolored necklace containing two pouches with thin strands that are connected by rope-like cords. A Yoruba diviner would have communicated with the spirit world while wearing this accessory.

Description

The use of colorful glass beads adds luster to the divination session and underlines the high status diviners enjoy in Yorùbá society. Like kings, diviners derive their authority from the otherworld, òrún. A beaded necklace with two beaded pouches is an accessory carried by the itinerant Yorùbá diviner. Substances sewn into the miniature bags protect the diviner and ensure his power.
  • ?–1995
    (Pace Primitive, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1995–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Petridis, Constantijn. South of the Sahara: selected works of African art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2003. Reproduced: cat. 23, p. 76 - 77
  • {{cite web|title=Ifá diviner's necklace (òdìgbà Ifá)|url=false|author=|year=1900s|access-date=24 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1995.23