1

Draft 3/22/11
Making Sense of Yoruba-ness and Yoruba Arts Revised Abstract I am interested in the senses and how they shape persons, communities, cultures, and the arts using an approach I call sensiotics I argue that the senses and sensiotics have important implications for our e!perience and understanding of cultural formations universally as suggested in recent anthropological and neurological research that documents body"mind integrations, and the importance of body"#nowledge in learning And this, I argue, is directly related to the notion of a cultural sensorium, used here to e!plore $oruba"ness

by %enry &ohn Drewal 'v(ue")ascom *rofessor Departments of Art %istory and Afro"American +tudies, ,-".adison Introduction How I came to [my] Sensiotics /he senses are crucial to understandings of the arts, not only in Africa, but arts everywhere 011 I have been writing on this matter since about 1223, but my first encounter with such issues goes bac# much further .y earliest lesson, though I did not #now it at the time, dates to my very first attempt at African art research "" my apprenticeships with the $oruba artist +anusi of the Adugbologe -or#shop in Abeo#uta, 4igeria in 1256, and a second, mas#"ma#ing apprenticeship with 7gundipe of Ilaro in 1289 when I made a :elede mas# for the impending festival 0IMAGEA!GE !E" MAS#1 I believe that wor# still dances in :elede performances ;7#edi(i 2333<192= -hat I learned from those apprenticeships was that >the actions of artists teach us as much about style and aesthetics as their words? ;Drewal 1293<8= I gained insights into $oruba artistic concepts, not only in discussing them with artists and observing them as they emerged from the creative process, but also in attempting to achieve them in my own carving under the tutelage of $oruba artists In other words, my own bodily, multi"sensorial e!perience was crucial to a more profound understanding ;oye= of $oruba art, and the culture and history that shape it /his process of watching, listening, carving, ma#ing mista#es, being corrected by e!ample, and trying again, was a transformative sensorial experience for me +lowly my body learned to carve as my ad@e"stro#es became more precise and effective and the image in my mind too# shape through the actions of my body $oruba people understand this #ind of e!perience and e!plain it with a sensory metaphor< >the outsider or uninitiated usually sees through the nose? ;imu ni alejo fi i riran= ;Abiodun 1223<86= /his saying has two different yet complementary connotations< that an outsider understands little because he/she confuses sensing organsA and, at the same time, that understanding reBuires multiple senses ;Abiodun 2336A 7la 2336= -ith #nowledge ;imo= together with wisdom ;ogbon=, we struggle to achieve understanding ;oye= And this oye is understood to come from the unity of body"mind A similar orientation, a fascination with arts ;both visual and performance= and their impact on audiences, led me to 'fe/:elede masBuerades ;GE E"E "A$%I$G= as the sub(ect of my *hD

2 field research in 1283"81 'fe/:elede honors the mystical powers of women termed >7ur .others? ;Awon Iya Wa= I chose 'fe/:elede because it epitomi@es for $oruba people a deeply moving, multi"media and multi"sensorial spectacle of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and movements captured in the praise >the eyes that have seen :elede, have seen the ultimate spectacle? ;oju to ba ri Gelede, ti de opin iran= -hile this saying seems to privilege the sense of sight ;>eyes? and >spectacle?=, iran or >spectacle? implies an e!perience that comes from more than (ust sight< 'fe/:elede is about the dance movements of masBueraders, the sounds of comple! drum rhythms, the sound of legs rattles, and the songs of 7ro 'fe at night when sounds dominate sights ;&!& E'E=, not to mention the tastes and smells of fried or steamed beanca#es ;akara/moi-moi= and other dishes that fill the air of the mar#etplace "" the place of 'fe/:elede performances, a space commanded by powerful women who are the very ones honored in 'fe/:eledeC0my mouth is watering as I con(ure up these tasty memoriesC1 Another night masBueradeDs power is totally due to its sound 7ro is the fearsome society of elders responsible for enforcing the rule of law and meting out punishment for crimes committed, including those for the most serious offense E murderFthat usually demands the death penalty -hen 7ro is abroad, all non"members must seBuester themselves indoors with all shutters closed Imagine this scene then E close your eyes E and listen to the otherworldly >voice? of 7ro as it see#s its target and carries out its missionCC Another e!ample comes from what one might consider a GvisualG art, kolo or body tattoo scarifications ;(&MA$ (I)H #& &= ;Drewal 1299= -hile the sense of sight is certainly used to perceive them initially, it is the sense of touch ;whether actual or virtual= that provo#es a deeper sensual pleasure and appreciation As one $oruba man confided to me, Gwhen we see a young woman with kolo, and try to touch the kolo with our hands, the weather changes to another thing 0we become se!ually aroused1HG A fourth e!ample involves the sense of smell together with other senses An 'gungun masBuerader that honors the spirit of departed warrior ancestors creates a powerful aura ;(A!!I&! EG*$G*$-'!&$)= Its performative power or ase resides not only in its stri#ing colors and assemblage of power pac#ets attached to its costume, but other multi"sensorial elements as well "" the powerful chorus of praise songs that energi@e itA the #inetic energy of its dance amplified by the aggressive and threatening demeanor of its attendantsA the pain of whips stri#ing fleshA the rushing, boisterous crowdA the gritty taste of dust #ic#ed up in the chaosA the pulsing beat of drumsA the heavy thud of the mas#erDs combat bootsA and especially the pervasive, overpowering stenc that emanates from the animal sacrificial offerings on its blood"soa#ed tunicH /he crowd, sensing the presence of danger, death and violence in that place and moment, responds accordingly -hen I as#ed to photograph its bac# +EG*$G*$-,A%#- one of its attendants covered the mon#ey s#ull embedded in its tunic -hen I as#ed why he did this, he responded saying its ase E its performative power "" was too strong for me to see, and that in any case it would prevent the camera from ta#ing the picture /his e!change reveals many comple! layers of significance< about the nature of aseA the power of the ga@eA and the affective aura of ob(ects and persons imbued with e!tra"ordinary ase E li#e masBueraders, priests and priestesses, healers, diviners, and crowned rulers whose eyes must be shielded by a beaded crown with veil on ritual occasions ;!* E!S (I)H %!&($ . /EI E" 'A%E= /hese are e!amples of what I call >body"mind wor#? 0body"mind" abitus to convey cultural

3 sensorium/conte!t ;.ichael &ac#son, *aths toward a IlearingJradical empiricismJin philosophy >the theory that sensory e!perience is the only source of #nowledge?1 and what *aul +toller ;1228= evocatively calls >sensuous scholarship ? %ere one no longer aspires to achieve an impossible >distanced ob(ectivity? of a so"called participant"observer ;which historically emphasi@es obser0ation= Rather one wor#s as a sensorially"engaged 1artici1ant, using all her/his senses in order to open the multiple, sensory paths to #nowledge and understanding :ranted, the differences between cultural insiders and outsiders will always remain, yet within those groups e!ist significant differences in cultural #nowledge, wisdom and understanding, perspectives that provide different insights And perhaps most of us are not strictly >insiders? or >outsiders,? but cultural >in"betweeners? ;7#edi(i 2339= /he engagement of the senses, our body"minds, is crucial to such understanding 0K1 /his e!position outlines an approach I call sensiotics E invented to >po#e? in a playful way, those engaged in linguistically"based semiotics 7ver the last 13"23 years, there has emerged a ma(or turn in Anthropology and visual culture studies from te!ts to bodies and the senses and I consider myself a part of this move /oday I will outline the following< 1= a theoretical perspectiveA 2= propose a specific methodology/practice 0'4:A:' in +'4+7R$ *AR/III*A/I74 and 'L*M7R' $7R,)A I74I'*/+ 7N +'4+'+, /%' )7D$ A4D )7D$ O47-M'D:' I4 .$/%+, *R7P'R)+, /AM'+, 'P'R$DA$ AI/I74+ .$ I%AMM'4:' I+ /7 AR/II,MA/' 7N/'4 ,4+*'AOA)M' ;*AI4, /'RR7R, +%7IO= 7R ,4I74+II7,+ +'4+7R$ 'L*'RI'4I'+A and 3= give a few e!amples from recent conversations with the babalawo Oolawole 7shitola about $oruba concepts of the body ;ara=, body"#nowledge, and the senses I argue that $oruba artists ;wor#ing in all forms/media E song, sculpture, painting, tattooing, dance, etc = and audiences use the senses ;sight, taste, hearing, spea#ing, touch, motion, and e!tra"sensory perception= to create and respond to the affective and aesthetic Bualities of art or ona, here defined as >evocative form ? As you will note, at present I am considering seven ;8= senses "" the usual five plus two others I believe are distinct and eBually important< motion and 2e3tra or su1er-sensory 1erce1tion4 +ES5= .otion has to do with our relation to gravitational forces and our sense of balance It is interesting to note that among the Anglo"'we, a sense of balance ;agbagbadodo=, when a child first learns to rise up on two feet and not fall over, is >an essential part of what it means to be human? ;:eurts ;2332<K2"63= A similar idea may be present in the $oruba term dogba, >to balance ? )alancing and artful motion are important concerns for $oruba as e!pressed in the saying< aiduro, ijo ni J >4ot"standing"still is dancing ? I e!tend the notion of balance/spatial orientation to encompass all motion especially dance, with its sensing organ, the labyrinth of the inner ear /he seventh sense, what some often call >the si!th sense,? has to do with e!tra"sensory perception ;'+*= that may have some relation to what we call >intuition ? I would suggest that when we try to understand the concept of trance or altered states of consciousness, when oneDs head >swells? or >is energi@ed?;ori wu= as $oruba say E a phenomenon that is certainly widespread in the artistic and religious traditions of Africa and its Diasporas ;and probably a universal human e!perience= "" we are dealing with issues of '+*, the supplement, the indeterminate ;see Drewal 1223= E li#e the trance e!periences of followers of .ami -ata ;E(E M( "E/&)EES= and +hango ;IYA(& SHA$G&= /his seventh sense is perhaps related to synaest esia 0remember !ir "ictor #waifo$s words, colors, and sounds% E the simultaneous

K body"mind interplay of multiple senses that has a profound effect on how we e!perience things in this world, and what we imagine might be beyond E as e!pressed by the African musicologist A . 7po#u urging us to >see the music, hear the dance? ;Mamp 233K<16= /his notion of indeterminacy is fundamental to $oruba thin#ing It is e!pressed in the notion of >K33 plus one orisa? E a pantheon of divinities that is without limit, forever in flu! As 7labiyi $ai ;2335= has remar#ed, this indeterminacy is e!pressed in the concept of okanlenirinwo orisa which translates as Gsomething that is ever"unpredictable and does not admit of limitation or ceiling ? And as -ole +oyin#a ;2339<K1= reminds us, >Ifa emphasi@es for us the perpetual elasticity of #nowledge ? 0and recent neuro-science confirms t e elasticity of our brains, t at is t e constant creation of brain cells and our ability to continually learn from sensory experience&% 'rom Semiotics to Semio1tics to Sensiotics If these insights are valid, then I believe we need to re"thin# our ways of wor#ing Manguage" based approaches, such as semiotics, structuralism and post"structuralism, are not vision"based +uch linguistic or logo"centric approaches to the arts have tended to distort or blur understandings of art on its own terms ;Drewal 1223<36= -hen we consider art, it becomes form webbed by words :ranted, we cannot avoid using words E our discipline is basically >words about images ? )ut we need to go beyond this As - & / .itchell has observed >C Qvisual e!perienceD or Qvisual literacyD might not be fully e!plicable in the model of te!tuality? ;.itchell 122K<15= .alcolm :ladwell ;2336<112"123=, based on the wor# of &onathan % +chooler, notes that visual perception is >clouded? and >overshadowed? by the verbal< that visual cognition is >immediate, holistic, and instinctive? whereas verbal cognition is >linear and consciously constructed ? It seems clear then, that we need to e!plore how art communicates and evo#es by means of its own uniBue sensorial modes ;Drewal 2332<233= +uch a vision"based approach is being developed by .oyo 7#edi(i ;1222<112"123A forthcoming= 021 that he calls semioptics "" an approach that recogni@es the limitations of the linguistic thrust of semiotics and see#s to uncover the ways in which the sense of sight shapes our perceptions and understandings of the world %oming to our Senses $et visionEbased approaches would be only an important first step in a more inclusive and comprehensive pro(ect of developing the theories and methods to reveal the bodily, multi" sensorial basis of understanding of arts, an approach I term sensiotics that I have been feeling, thin#ing, and wor#ing on ;and that has been wor#ing on me= since my first apprenticeships with $oruba sculptors in the 1253s"83s I would contend that while language, for e!ample, is one of the ways we re"present the world, before language we began by perceiving, reasoning, theori@ing, and understanding through all our senses +ight, hearing, touch, smell, taste, and motion continually participate, though we may often be unconscious of them, in the ways we literally ma#e sense of the world, and art +eeing ;hearing, tasting, etc = is thin#ing +ensing is theori@ing In the beginning, there was no word, only sensations +ince we are concerned about $oruba body"#nowledge, we begin with an understanding of the body and the senses /he following is based upon several recent conversations with the >father of ancient wisdom? ;babalawo= Oolawole 7shitola, alias Abidifa, >7ne" who"teaches"Ifa"from"A" to"R ? %ere Oolawole too# me from top to bottomH And $oruba metaphors using the body can

6 be ;as &ohnson and Ma#off have shown us=, metaphors we MIP' by 0e!amples of concepts of a $oruba body"mind here1

En0oi Mabiyi $ai reminds us that for the $oruba, artists are A'( E itinerant persons forever on the move, strangers everywhere, at home nowhere E engaged in >constant de1artures of creati0ity ? )oth artists and audiences create and respond using their senses and sensibilities CIf we want to understand the creativity of artists, and the responses of audiences, then we must understand how the senses shape and guide us on our (ourney from the otherworld ;orun= to the world ;aye=, passage to the otherworld ;orun=, and the possibility of a return to the world E the infinite cycle of life/departure/return symboli@ed by this interlace pattern in $oruba beadwor# 0,EA"E" I$)E! A%E] .ay our body"minds soar with imo, ogbon, at$oye as we create words to understand and evo#e the sensuous e!periences of $oruba peoples and their ona/art

2/28/13 "" +#ype Ionversation with Oolawole 7shitola, babalawo about $oruba ideas about the body ;ara=< A car has an engine and this is li#e the sense organs in a human E must train it li#e a person It is a machine but it must be trained li#e a person /hus O7 had his driver >train? his new car for speed, so that it >would not be la@y ? -e tal# about >brea#ing in a car? by driving it slowly for the first 133"233 miles E O7 wanted his car to #now how to go fast, so the driver went fast when >brea#ing it in ? Aiduro, ijo ni )aiduro, n$ijo= E >not standing still, is dancing? J when you are (ust standing up idly, you should be dancing, moving body J said to encourage person to do something, not to be idle, to wor#, dance, wa#e up, perform E carry onH +tretch out your leg and let dance catch itH ;*o ma jo, l$ese soke= J refers to dancing to a tune appropriately 0sensorially enculturated gesture1 "" music controls the dance/dancer E the music/dance >heats up? ;ijo wora= the body ;ijo lo wora, o wora mi, ijo wora= /rance/'+* E ori mi wu ;my head swelled= E O7 J >my spirit came alive? Wu J geared up, moved, wor#ed the body, alive, happy, e!cited ;O7= E we use our senses to get e!cited .usic and dance, whether for orisa or for social purposes, both ma#e you e!cited Nor entertainment, the senses are e!cited, but for spiritual/sacred dances, the spirit power of orisa, li#e for a +hango devotee, the osu 0empowering inoculations on the top/ociput of the head1 gives the spiritual sense and controls the person and her/his dance E the spirit incited in your inner head/body ;ori inu= comes from the spiritual realm of +run E and it is this that overpowers your aye ;worldly= sensesC it is not only your own worldly spirit 0as e/iwa,1, it is also orun spirit Suestions to as#< 1= -hen you say >aye spirit? or >orun spirit? of a person, what is the word for >spirit? you are referring toTT 0aseT, emiT IwaT TTT1 2= Discuss osu ;tuft w empowering substances= in detail E how does it affect senses and bodyT 11/1K/13 +#ype Ionversation with Oolawole 7shitola= about $oruba ideas about the body ;ara= began with the fundamental duality and complementarity of outer ;ode/ita= and inner ;inu= dimensions and the primacy of the head ;ori= Ori is the >leader of the bodyCand gives the true picture of the person? his/her identity, essential nature and character ;iwa= E this is the ori ode or ori ita J outer/physical head E when you dress well the outer head ;clean, orderly, well"prepared, beautified= you are presenting a positive, good

8 self ;ori re seC= /his is the outer e!pression of the ori inu6 the spiritual self, a personDs destiny, soul Dressing ori ita well affects the spirtual inu as well, 0but it can also hide/misrepresent inner head which supersedes/determines/shapes the outer one E prayer says >may my inner head not spoil my outer one? ;ori inu mi ko ma ba ti ode je= ;Drewal 1292< 25= Iwa, l$ewa J ;good= character J beauty E ;>essential nature is beauty? E Drewal 1292<K2= good/positive character ;from inside= ma#es a person beautiful ;outer appearance= And when applied to art ;ona= defined as >evocative form?, it is deemed beautiful in the fullest, widest sense of that word, when art captures the eternal essence or character of a thing or a person E whether in painting, sculpture, song, or dance, or any artistic form And the formation of that charater/iwa ta#es place within the inner head, the inner body, through the vehicle of the senses As #olawole e!plained, the eyes ;Oju= allow >the light to enter? with which we see everything -e #now/see things >thru the light that enters the eye ? %ere too, we have both visible, outer eyes ;oju ode= and inner, #nowing eyes ;oju inu= that give us in-sig7t Eti ;ear= J use the ear to >can only #now what is happening? E if a person is deaf, then must develop other parts/senses of body in order to learn ;iluti= E O7 confirmed iluti as ability to >hear? J learning/comprehension as in >are you hearing me? J are you understanding me E metaphor of >hearing? more than >seeing? 0relate directly to iluti J teachability "" add above1 Imu J nose E used to notice/detect/e!perience smells and smell can detect an evil/cruel person ;enia buruu#u, #i#a= or a good/positive person ;enia to da= E smell helps us to notice good ;oorun to da, didun J sweet, delicious= and bad/?bitter? ;oorun #i#an, buruu#u= 04ana )uruu#u J the smell of death from diseaseT1 +aying< imu mu ika ko je ki agbo orun as ebi 0chec# spelling and meaning1 Enu J mouth E eating, tasting, tal#ing, the way to voice out E mouth is the bodyDs >spea#er? in order to >deliver a message? E saying >mind your mouth?/ be careful with what you say E kii enu mi maa pa mi o- ;may my mouth/words not #iil meH= E eyin lDoro E bi o ba bale, #oo she ;s"dot= #o J >words are li#e eggs, when they fall and brea# 0from the mouth1 they cannot be repaired 0ta#en bac# whole1 "" afose E words of spiritual powerCthere are so many >races? 0cultures1 in Africa that have different spiritual powers E Mi#e the I(ebu"$oruba E they have so much power/ase because of the presence of such things as shrubs, leaves, spirits, herbs, animals with speacial powers li#e chameleon, birds, etc E all these things have powers, >talents? 0abilities1 from 7lodumare and orun that can create special powers that can empower words to have special power the power of ase to >ma#e things come to pass immediately? E to bless or curse E even certain parts of the bodies of animals, fishes, crocodiles, tortoise, sna#es, etc have special powers Enu ase J O7Ds mouth has been >well"prepared? E as a result of< a= living and learning from agbalagbas ;wise elders=A b= incantations ;oro, ofo, etc=A activities/actions/practices in traditional wor# E >this gives me ase too ;hanging out with the orisa, ancestors, spirits, 7sugbo, etc = E > I eat and dine with the orisa everytimeC? E my edan C >I am in the midst of ase all the time? 0all these sensing organs ;eyes, ears, nose, mouth E taste and touch= are centered/e!perienced in the head, the >leader of all? ;olori= 0a universal human metaphorT1

9 Initiations and bodies 8 every initiation is different and secret things are put into the body ;head, eyes, ears, mouth, tongue= E inoculations "" 0would not go further in discussion of specifics E as# for e!amples1 E went on to say there are 8 grades of iniation in 7sugbo that involve >spiritual sacrificeJinoculation? E in-cor1-oration8em-body-ment E a #ey to e!plaining the permeable nature of the body to be capable of enhancement for specific >talents? powers, abilities E where material things containing ase can be infused into body to e!pand spiritual/immaterial potentials 'urt7er 9uestions< proverbs about the oriT Discuss oju inu in relation to oju odeT 4ana )uruu#u J coming from the sense of bad/bitter smellT the smell of death from diseaseT +aying< imu mu ika ko je ki agbo orun as ebi 0chec# spelling and meaning1T 4ames for different innoculations put into bodyT E 0would not go further in discussion of specifics E as# for e!amples1 12/6/13 +#ype Ionversation with Oolawole 7shitola, babalawo about $oruba ideas about the body ;ara= ;cont =< $eck +orun- E this is a (oint that connects the main part ;the head= to the rest of the body, and therefore the nec# is involved in all matters affecting one /he saying< oro ni o wa l$orun re o- J >the serious matter/issue is on youH? Another saying< o da .run si l$aron J >he committed an offense on him ? 0chec# $oruba1 Arms +apa- E the carrier, the collector must use arms to accomplish tas# Apa oo ka o- J >cannot carry it/responsibility? Hands +owo- E Buestion about ability to do something E o wa l$o weT J can person do this thingT It depends on him/his hands Appropriate behavior J >the hand of a child can enter a small place, but the hand of an elder cannot ? +wo omode ko to pepe, owo agbalagba ko le se/ 0small hand for small place, big hand for other matters1 /he hands control the beatings of the drum 'ingers +omo owo mewa- >13 children of the hand? E /here are verses of Ifa that spea# of the fingers 0what are theseTTT1 Ninger ne!t to thumb J person is worrying 0T1 *rayer for longevity< Ningers are not allowed to leave/die the hand, toes are not allowed to leave the feet J while onw is alive, fingers and toes are to be useful E and it is very tragic if the children die before the parents S7ou:ders +ijika- E this is the support for clothes/dress/agbada J metaphor for support %7est +aya- E e!presses courage, usefulness, bravery E aya ku ye o J you are courageous E you

2 can withstand challenge It refers to the essential power of the person ;could be fearful= It is the controller J aya ko mi J IDm courageous Aya ko mi bangba J a big open chest J I can withstand any challenge +tomach ;ikun/inu= E ikun ju J cannot #now/understand the personA a person who is open"minded J ikun e da *ersons in a fraternity li#e 7sugbo must #now the person well, must #now their inside, their stomach A dangerous person has the stomach of a sna#e and other animals -hen people hold important matters secret, they hold it in their stomach Onowledge and wisdom of an elder ;agbalagba= is in their stomach E the head and stomach are very closely related J refers to things that are hidden +aying< >/he inner head is the ruler, please donDt ruin/spoil/destroy the outer head >;ori inu iwo l$oba, jowo kii oo maa gba to de je o-= 0my translation< /he inner head rules, may it not ruin my outer headH1 0this relates directly to the saying iwa, l$ewa J where iwa resides in the inner/spiritual head/body ;inu=, and beauty ;ewa= resides in the outer/physical body ;ode=1 It is the spiritual head ;ori inu, iwa= that needs to receive/do sacrifice in order to maintain good character ;iwa= Ionversation with Oolawole 7shitola, &anuary 2, 2311 0call recorder not on1 ,ack 8 ehin E rest/support E to rely on someone E a staff or piece of wood carried on the shoulder will be shorter in front, and longer at the bac# ;l$e in igi ajikaC= J it is the future in front that is shorter than the history at the bac#, that is your reputation from actions of the past will grow E your accomplishments will e!tend more and more as time passes J l$e in ni won J accomplishments of the past grow 0alternative notes by %&D " ,ack +ehin- E this provides rest and support E if you rely on someone and they cannot help, then they cannot >bac#? you +aying< l$e in igi/opa ajika J a staff resting on the shoulder will be shorter in front than in bac# J meaning the future ;front= is shorter than the past ;bac#= J oneDs reputation grows from past deeds ;l$e in ni won J accomplishments of the past grow= 1 ,uttocks J idi E idi oro J what is the cause/source/reason for the matter Idi is the foundation or cause , the root/beginning of the matter Aa ki ri idi olokun/osa J one can never see ;#now= the origin/source of the ocean/lagoon or the plant without beginning or end ;omoligelegele= Idi is often #ept secret, it is the source of the person and therefore covered, unseen, protected eg J ese E o fi l$ese mule J he stood firm/legs wide apart/wide stance/strong/ firm/uns#a#en ,sed to e!press a convincing argument, a well argued position with no doubt +tretch out your leg and let dance catch itH E O7 did not recogni@e this but gave o (u lDese oge/bo wa so#e #o (o/ aiduro, i(o ni J dance controls body, music controls body J ijo bi l$ese, ire e maa joH ;music ma#es the body move= #nee J oru#un E ,sed as a metaphor for a matter that is not straightforward ;ko se orukun=, that is problematic, difficult to resolve, a delicate, difficult matter /his is because it is at the #nee that the leg bends, or brea#s ;oro oo se orukun= A person standing straight up on straight legs

13 suggests firm conclusion/clarity, but one with bent #nees suggests uncertainty, problem, Buestion, issue #un:e J to #neel J is to succomb to a superior power/orisa/force J giving honor or respect to this superior force/presence E way to e!press subservience and supplicaton E gesture to reBuest blessings E it is orisa who are on their feet, standing, in control E #unle J ceding power/agency to another Kunle abiamo J birthing position that communicates submission to the gods >only god can deliver child? E this at most crucial time for mother to give birth and be delivered from danger and death ;of self and child= 1/2/11 +#ype Ionversation with Oolawole 7shitola, babalawo about $oruba ideas about the body ;ara= and left and right sides< "both are good, but they have different functions +tun ;right= is the side of proposal and osi ;left= is the side of command/power/ ase E wor#ing together ;otun/osi= they can >ma#e things come to pass? ;ase= E we do things in both sides to complete a mission +tun na dafa J the right proposesC ko si ase osi T /he right is e!posed, it does so many things, li#e eat, wor#, etc /he left is #ept for special things, as we say, >#eep these words/this matter in the left hand 0secret1? E meaning that you donDt forget or lose the secret /he right hand is used for all things, but the left is for important, secret, delicate matters A person who lives an A-7 life ;as opposed to the ologberiJignorant persons= uses the left E it is for #eeping things for a long time, for intelligent use, for #eeping secrets E this is permanent for A-7 person, for uncommon/esoteric matters that are >very, very special ? E must not let loose/reveal to mediocre/ordinary persons It was the Ihristians and .uslims ;those who >forced? religion= who brought the idead that the >left is evil ? /hese were the same people who enslaved Africans +wo Alafia is the left hand, the hand of peace 7lo#un/:od E >:od is in the ocean ;o#un= E -e intelligent people believe, whereas Ihristians/muslims believe :od is in the s#y/space Ile J tangible mother earth, part of the tangible aye ;world= /he >owners of the land/earth ;irunmale= come to perform e!traordinarily E they go bac# to orun but they are still in the world/aye with their descendants E they bring us ase/life/powerC?we go to the coolest place ;o#un= when we leave aye ? 7#un is larger than ile J the inhabitants of o#un are much more numerous than those on earth Irunmale includes both orisa and special spirits ;warriorsJa(ogun=, >we wor# to appease or neutrali@e them 7nile ;dot= J irunmale It is not an orisa It controls the actions of humans to ensure that they live as wisely as possible 7lodumare is the head of the irunmale that are uncountable, not K31, but U1U1U1U1C

11 '4D 0VVVthis has implications for enculturated gestures, movements and body attitudes in social and physical space Nor e!amples< MoladeDs immediate curtsy when greeting me or other eldersA doable before eldersA eyes averted when spea#ing to elders/teachers ;remember *I e!perience of as#ing student to loo# at me when I was scolding him E we ta#e eye avoidance to mean lying, $oruba ta#e it to mean respect and proper behaviorA body carriage when balancing loads on the headA kunle abiamo A +tepping with left foot into 'gungun costumeA crossing threshold into the iledi 7shugbo with the left foot/leg E the leg of special/secret mattersC in other words, many day"to"day actions and e!periences ;formed by the senses and shaped by culture= e!press a sense of $oruba"ness that becomes so naturali@ed as to be unremar#ed ;unnoticed=, and unconscious 4ot (ust in terms of the sense of motion/movement/gesture, but all the senses shaped by culture since birth ;and perhaps even before, while a fetus within the womb 1

12

13

["E E)E '!&M A%ASA 5A5E! Ifa /isua: and Sensoria: "imensions

/he remainder of this essay illustrates my sensiotics approach with a few e!amples of the visual and sensorial aspects of Ifa divination material and im"material culture 031 +eriate composition and mythic allusions characteri@e Ifa art In divination trays ;opon Ifa=, low relief images encircle the divining surface ;&5&$ I'A-* M= An Ifa/Na divination tray in the ,lm .useum, -est :ermany ;-eic#mann Iollection, inventory no K5=, collected at Allada during the first half of the seventeenth century ;before 1563=, documents the antiBuity of seriate composition 061 A large frontal face centered at the top may refer to 'su/'legba, the divine mediator/messenger between humans and spiritual forces +ome diviners simply refer to this image as >the face of the tray? ;oju opon= /hree medicine gourds crown the brow /wo profile figures, one with a gourd at the end of a tailed coiffure, may also be 'su/'legba references Arranged around the border are a myriad of images< Buadrupeds, cowrie shells, birds, reptiles, women, men, and cultural items such as pipes, tools, swords, sheaths, a!es, cups, brooms, shac#les ;T=, drums, gourds, guns, mar#et goods, and divination tappers /hings present in the world crowd the space and e!press a wide variety of themes< leadership, warfare, survival, fertility, protection, sacrifice, and so forth 4o narrative unifies

1K

these diverse depictionsA rather, they convey the autonomous forces operating in the $oruba cosmos that affect and concern the diviner and his clients 'ach is given appro!imately eBual visual importance, thus evo#ing a dynamic and fluid cosmos of forces, the same forces that Gspea#G through the ese Ifa, the verses recited by the diviner 4ote also the multiple dents in the surface of the trayCI will return to these later

)ut seriality and multiple proportions and perspectives are not the only features of composition in Ifa divination trays /here is also an e!plicit orientation and emphasis on four directions, the four Buadrants between these, and the center of the tray /he four directions refer to the cardinal points, for the diviner sits facing the east with the frontal face of the tray sited opposite him Research in I(ebu $orubaland revealed that Ifa shrines and rituals are oriented ideally on a east"west a!is< entrances to shrines and groves must face east, the direction from which 7runmila ;Ifa= is said to have come 051 /he importance of these cardinal points and $oruba astronomical concepts reBuires serious study, for they are deeply rooted in Ifa and other $oruba beliefs All this is about positioning and movement E orienting oneself in order to move forward in lifeDs (ourney through a cosmos of comple! competing forces that must be continually negotiated

16

In divination trays, then, there is a compositional interplay of a circle and intersecting lines, the former reflecting the unity of the $oruba cosmos consisting of the world ;aye= and the otherworld ;orun= populated by diverse, autonomous forces, and the latter e!pressing the intersection of cosmic realms at the metaphorical crossroads ;orita meta= and the cardinal points

In addition to its articulation of a cosmos of autonomous forces the divination tray evo#es legendary diviners and their e!ploits /hese accounts from the past are precedents for actions and remedies in the present 7ne old tray, discussed by its owner Oolawole 7shitola, has eight sections plus one, all said to represent ancient diviners ;)!AY . #& A(& E )!AY-; < == /he diviner invo#es each section as he GopensG the tray at the beginning of a consultation /he main, or largest Gface of the trayG ;oju opon= ;1=, oriented opposite the diviner /he part nearest the diviner ;2= is the ese opon, Gfoot of the tray G At the right hand side ;3= is ona kanran, Ga straight path,G while the left ;K= is ona murun, also Ga direct path G As 7shitola e!plains< G/hese are ancient forefathers when you wor#, wor#, wor#,

your name will remain in history /hat ona murun is one of the hardwor#ing, ancient diviners, and he became so famous that we shall always remember his name forever G +na kanran ;straight path= was also famous %is way was straight, meaning he was Ga straightforward person a good man G +traightness is a

15

metaphor for openness, honesty, and trustworthiness /he upper right Buadrant of the tray ;6= is alabalotun, Gtheone"who"proposes"with"the"rightGA the upper left ;5= is alaselosi, Gtheone"who"implements"with"the"left G 7n the lower right ;8= is ajiletepowo, Gan"early"riser"who"sits"down"and"prospers,G and on the lower left ;9= is afurukeresayo, Gthe"one"who"has"a"divinerWs"fly"whis#"and"is"happy G /he center, and Gleader,G of the tray ;2=, where the verses of Ifa are mar#ed, is the erilade opon, Gthe"center"of"the"tray"the"meeting place"that"crowns"all G

VV0/he gestures/movements of the diviner holding the tapper are essential to >open? that is >clear the paths? for the arrival of cosmic forces at the divination session 1

After the diviner GgreetsG these nine ancients, he may then pay homage to his forefathers, the deities, and certain birds /hese birds are metaphors for the divinerWs ability to chant and also, according to Ifa lore, ancient diviners ;&5&$ (I)H %I!% E &' ,I!"S= As 7shitola e!plains, Gall the birds and animals have the #nowledge of Ifa in the ancient times G )irds, li#e diviners, are >tal#ative? as Oolawole e!plained, and humans used to understand them .any stories recount the trials and tribulations of these bird diviners /heir victories presage the success of the diviner who invo#es their memory

18

In praising all the sections of the tray, the diviner alerts its spiritual essences, readies it for action, and, at the same time, focuses the attention of all those present at the divining session It is also a means by which the diviner collects himself and establishes his own concentration )ut the divinerWs most important tas# is to invo#e famous past diviners, bringing them to the consultation in the world from the otherworld and into the present from the past /he divination session is then li#e all $oruba rituals in that the spoken invocation temporarily ma#es manifest an otherworldly reality ;% & Drewal and . / Drewal 1293<K= 0I/ I+ /%' S5&#E$ -7RD ;A0+!(= /%A/ %A+ >*'RN7R.A/IP' *7-'R? 7R A!(1 In effect, the divination tray is a crossroads where the otherworldly and worldly realms communicate, a metaphor made visible by the diviner when he inscribes lines in iyerosun ;camwood powder= on the tray, thereby GopeningG it (ust before beginning his wor# ;#& A(& E &5E$I$G )!AY=

Sensing Sounds )ut it is not only the sound of the divinerDs invocation that has effect, it is the sound made by the tapper his holds in his right hand as it stri#es the surface of the tray E evidenced in the dents on the ,lm try from the 18th century [* M )ray] /his sound reinforces and intensifies the voiced ase of the diviner 7f primary

19

importance are of course the invocations of the diviner, and the recitation of the ese and +du Ifa )ut in con(unction with these powerful words ;afose= that >ma#e things come to pass,? are other sounds that are essential for the efficacy of the session

%earing, a sense that has great importance, especially on a continent where oral traditions are essential to the production and reproduction of social, cultural and artistic practices, is an e!tremely important sensorial mode of understanding in $oruba society As Abiodun ;1293= notes, in $oruba society, a multi"sensorial mode of understanding is embedded in the concept of iluti< the ability to hear, communicate, and remember, in other words, the capacity to learn, to be educated And significantly, iluti determines whether or not a wor# of art is alive and responding, in other words, effectively evocative

/hus sounds are often ignored or devalued in discussions of the visual arts Ionsider what I said above about Ifa divination trays ;H>"?S## &5&$ I'A= -hile I e!plored the comple! composition and imagery of the tray, I did not mention that the hollow area carved into the underside of the tray creates a sound chamber ;*$"E!$EA)H SI"E &' &5&$= /he tray is a wooden drum E imagery plus sound -hen an Ifa priest stri#es the center of the front surface

12

;erinladeopon= with the pointed end of a divination tapper ;iroke= ;#& A(& E S)!I#I$G "!*M-)!AY=, the sound reverberates in order to Gcommunicate between this world and the ne!tG as the diviner Oolawole 7shitola ;1292= e!plained to me ["EM&$S)!A)E (I)H )A55E! A$" )!AY1 /hen comes the sound that follows when the diviner stri#es or >beats? together ;pa$kin= the si!teen ikin Ifa and mar#s the 7du Ifa signature in the camwood powder ;iyerosun= on the tray /he sound of the tapper on drum"tray, followed by the sharp clac# of the ikin, alerts cosmic forces +acred sounds, not (ust images, create a transcendent, evocative e!perience of art 091

%o:ors and Ifa I want to now turn to the perception of color, which I will argue involves three senses simultaneously "" sight, motion, and touch A divination session engages multiple senses Divination is an etutu, a >cooling,? soothing, placating act And as its name implies, it evo#es a change in temperature, that is, temperament /hose present, humans and spirits, must feel the cooling, calming moment In this way, the sense of touch is part of the perception of color )ut more than this, I would argue that color cognition among $oruba ;and others= is not solely a matter of sight and touch, but also of motion

23

$orubas distinguish three chromatic groupings< pupa, funfun, and dudu E inadeBuately translated as >reds, whites, and blac#s/dar#? hues respectively ;7#edi(i 1221 and Iampbell 2339 E summari@ed and elaborated here= Remember, colors provo#e the sensation of temperature, e!perienced through the sense of touch 1upa ;reds= are hot ;gbigbona=, whites ;funfun= are cool ;tutu=, and dar# colors ;dudu= E blac#, blue, green, brown "" mediate between these two e!tremes +uch colors evo#e temperature and by e!tension temperament E the character of the gods< /hus the cool of white invites the presence of 7batala ;&,A)A A(HI)E= and the heat of red evo#es the warrior +hango ;SHA$G&!E"?(HI)E= 081

Iolors also evo#e a sense of motion -e #now that reds and other warm/hot hues seem to advance toward us due to the length of their light waves hitting the retina of our eyes )lues, purples, greens tend to recede, move away from us /hus our perception of color engages three senses simultaneously< sight, touch, and motion

4ow in much of the world of Ifa, the colors yellow and green tend to dominate, especially in the beadwor# of diviners ;A!A,A E#& -- ,EA"S &' ME"IA)I&$= According to $oruba chromatics, yellow and green are mediating colors E they are not the hot ;gbigbona= hues, and they are not the cool ones ;tutu=

21

/hey fall between these two e!tremes, moderating and mediating them And this, I would suggest, is symbolic of the position of Ifa ;and the diviner= in the $oruba cosmosA to serve as a cosmic bridge between aye and orun, between humans and divine forces /hese mediating beads are #nown as otutuopon E a reference to >cooling? ;tutu=, mediating presence As 7shitola e!plained to me< >they are either green and yellow or green and brown C0they say1C >when we perform a ceremony for someone, it will be alright 0it will succeed1 ? ;7shitola 1292, pc= And the full range of colors in another beaded nec#lace of diviners ;odigba=, worn by these young boys going through Itefa initiation ;I)E'A@#I"S (I)H mu:tico:ored odigba=, signals the fact that Ifa must wor# with AMM forces in aye and orun )lac# and/or dar# hues ;dudu= are other important colors in Ifa E related to the ikin Ifa, the si!teen oil"palm nuts, the most important ob(ects in a divinerDs possession /hey are vehicles of illumination Pery dar#, blac# and shiny from age and handling, they evo#e the aesthetic beauty of Ifa whose blac#ness is praised in names given to ebony children, Adubiifa, >)lac#"as"the"i#in"Ifa ? ;Abiodun 2339<6K= )lac#ness, as Abiodun reminds us, is symbolic of the infinite #nowledge and wisdom of Ifa and its diviners ;"I/I$E! &$ )!AY= in penetrating the vast un#nown, the forces operating in the cosmos, and providing illumination )lac#ness also references the unfathomable depths of the ocean, the realm of

22

7lo#un to which diviners travel when they leave aye for orun ;7shitola 1292, 1295= E a (ourney referenced in this image of 7lo#un on an Ifa tray ;& &#*$ &$ )!AY=

/aste also figures in another aspect of a divination session /he camwood powder ;iyerosun= that covers the >crown? of the tray is later incorporated into empowering pac#ets by the diviner for his clients /he clients must ingest ;that is, taste and swallow= some the iyerosun for the ritual to be effective in activating cosmic forces /asting the iyerosun ensures that the client embodies the empowering ase of the forces revealed by Ifa /oo, taste ;and touch= are engaged when, in the early morning, a diviner or Ifa follower >wa#es up? his deity before invocations by loudly spraying oti ;schnapps/liBuer= on the ikin /asting, touching, and hearing are essential elements in sensorially evocative practices of belief )7e Im1ortance of Enactment /here are many important rituals involving the senses E processions, sacrifices, initiations, and funerals All these are essential elements that contribute to a deeply affective, evocative ritual @e!perience, li#e the e!perience of art, ona /he reason these multi"sensorial elements and enactments in rituals are so important may have to do with recent research in neuroscience on the brainDs plasticity and the possible role of so"called >mirror neurons ? +tated briefly, when we see an action being

23

performed, our neuron networ#s fire and our brains actually perform the action we are seeing E our body"minds do what we see ;Rarey 2339= In these psycho" physical moments, we are gaining body"#nowledge, learning, reinforcing, deepening, embedding bodily, sensorial e!periences and ma#ing them a part of us both mentally and physically In this way lessons >stic#? "" they become a part of us since multiple neural"paths ma#e for stronger memories -hat is performance but a way to enact, that is embody, #nowledge and understanding And there are many stages in the very comple! itefa ceremonies that reBuire enactment E the engagement of songs, music, movement, taste, touch, hearing, and processional (ourneys that ta#e initiates to places of empowerment All the senses are engaged to deepen the evocative Bualities of the e!perience

En0oi Mabiyi $ai reminds us that for the $oruba, artists are A'( E itinerant persons forever on the move, strangers everywhere, at home nowhere E engaged in >constant de1artures of creati0ity ? )oth artists and audiences create and respond using their senses and sensibilities CIf we want to understand the creativity of artists, and the responses of audiences, then we must understand how the senses shape and guide us on our (ourney "" the infinite cycle of life/departure/return symboli@ed by this interlace pattern in $oruba beadwor#

2K

0,EA"E" I$)E! A%E] 0Nor as $oruba say< Aye l$oja, orun n$ile ;>the world is a mar#etplace 0we visit for a while1, but the otherworld is home?= 1 Met our body"minds soar with imo, ogbon, at$oye as we create words to convey the countless sensuous e!periences that constitute a $oruba world, and its ona/art

Endnotes

011 /hese ideas about the senses result from many years of living among $oruba" spea#ing people in -est Africa and their descendants in )ra@il since 125K At various times this wor# has been generously funded by the following< Institute of Intercultural +tudies, 4ew $or#A the African +tudies Institute, Iolumbia ,niversityA the Ileveland +tate ,niversityA the 4ational 'ndowment for the %umanitiesA the 4igerian 4ational .useumA and the ,niversities of Ibadan and

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Ife/7bafemi AwolowoA the Nulbright Nellowship *rogramA the :uggenheim NoundationA and the ,niversity of -isconsin".adison I e!press my deep gratitude to these institutions and especially to certain individuals< +amuel A#infenwa, Raimi A#a#i /aiwo, & R 3 7(o, W-ande Abimbola, 7yin 7gunba, Rowland Abiodun, Oolawole 7shitola, the Monge and Abiodun families, Q+ope 7yelaran, and .argaret /hompson Drewal whose assistance and friendship have sustained my efforts over many years /heir wisdom, insights, and probing Buestions helped shape this paper +ome sections of this essay are revisions and e!pansions of my 1298 article on >Art and Divination< Design and .yth ?

021 .oyo 7#edi(iDs critiBue of semiotics and its impact on visual culture and art" historical studies is the focus of a forthcoming boo# that will revolutioni@e how we thin# about language and images

031 /he richness and comple!ity of Ifa divination have fascinated scholars for Buite some time .ost notable of the pioneers are Nrobenius ;1213, 1283=A .aupoil ;12K3=A Perger ;1268,1256=A and )ascom ;1252, 1293= /hey were followed by such ma(or scholars as Abimbola ;1259, 1252, 1286, 1285, 1288, 1293=A )eyio#u ;1281=A .cIlelland ;1255, 1292=A and Adede(i ;1283= Abiodun ;1286, 1293=, and -itte ;129K= have illuminated imagery in Ifa art ;see also *emberton 2333=

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0K1 "" /here is now a rapidly growing interest in aspects of this multi"sensorial approach In anthropology, the seminal wor# has been done by *aul +toller ;129KA 1292A 1228=, David %owes and Ianstance Ilassen ;12TT, 23TT, and others=, .ichael /aussig ;1223A 233K= and Oathryn :eurts ;2332= In the field of African art history/visual culture, Roach and 'icher 1283A 'icher 1226A Robert Narris /hompson ;128K=, %erbert Iole ;1283A 128K=, and +imon 7ttenberg ;1286= were among the first to open more than our eyes to the importance of the senses 4ow others are e!ploring this topic ;*ee# 122KA +trother 1229, 2333A Mamp 233KA )lier 233KA Ioo#sey 233K= In +eptember 2336, the ,niversity of .innesota held a symposium called >/he +enses and +entiments of Dress,? honoring the wor# of &oanne 'icher Diane Ac#ermanDs ;1223= poetic evocation of the >natural history of the senses? has inspired wide audiences beyond the academy .uch of this wor# reflects a renewed interest in the body as an important site of investigations, for the senses are about bodily e!perience and #nowledge It is no mystery then that the often e!Buisitely poetic writing of Robert Narris /hompson comes from his roots as an ethnomusicologist and mambo frea#, that .argaret /hompson Drewal ;1222= and Nrederic# Mamp understand performance so well because they were dancers, and Daniel Reed music, because he had to learn from his Dan master singing instructor how to >heat up? a Dan :e masBuerade performance with a loud voice,

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high register, and tight timber ;Reed 2333<125=A *hilip *ee# ;122K= on the >+ounds of +ilence,? as well as Rene Devish on the importance of smell among the $a#a of Ientral Africa ;see ./Drewal 1221<6K for citation=A and +ylvia )oone ;1295= on the senses in +ande initiations

061 -hile $oruba people ;and Ifa/Na= were certainly present in Allada in the seventeenth century, the style and iconography of this divination tray suggest A(a or Non wor# rather than $oruba +ee .erlo ;128K= for nineteenth"century A(a/ Oota/Non and 'we wor# in a style stri#ingly similar to the ,lm tray Regardless of the e!act provenance of this piece it is certain that Ifa ;Na= was widely practiced in this area as a result of ;7yo= $oruba cultural influence /he composition and iconography, therefore, can be said to reflect $oruba cosmological ideas

051 Nrobenius ;1283<199"192=, citing information received early in this century from diviners in Ibadan, Ife, and Mo#o(a ;Mo#oya=, collected the following myth at Mo#o(a< GMong, long ago, when everything was in confusion and young and old died, 7lodumare ;:od= summoned 'dshu"ogbe and said< WIreate order in the region of the sunrise W /o 7ya#o".edyi< WIreate order in the region of the sunset W 4e!t morning 'dshu"ogbe created order in the east and in the evening 7ya#o".edyi created order in the west G

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081 /hese same color temperament connotations carry over to $oruba descendants in Iuba as well &ohn .ason ;1292< pc= notes< >when a diviner warns of a QredD enemy, a violent, unpredictable, e!plosive person is being described?

091 4otice the many dents in the surface of the 18th century ,lm trayCmar#s left by the diviner while communicating >between this world and the ne!t ?

!eferences cited Abimbola, - 1259 Ijinle + un (ni Ifa/ Apa *iini :lasgow< Iollins """""" 1252 Ijinle + un (nu Ifa, Apa *eji :lasgow< Iollins """""" 1286 !ixteen Great 1oems of Ifa :eneva< ,4'+I7 """""" 1285 Ifa2 An (xposition of Ifa 3iterary 4orpus Ibadan, 4igeria< 7!ford ,niversity *ress """""" 1288 Ifa 5ivination 1oetry 4ew $or#< 4o# *ublishers Mtd """""" 1293 GPerbal and Pisual +ymbolism in Ifa Divination G *aper presented at the Ionference on the Relations between the Perbal and Pisual Arts in Africa, *hiladelphia *ennsylvania 7ctober 13"1K Abiodun, R 1286 GIfa Art 7b(ects< An Interpretation )ased on 7ral /raditions G in 6oruba +ral 7radition2 1oetry in 8usic, 5ance and 5rama - Abimbola ed

22

Ile"Ife, 4igeria< Department of African Manguages and Miteratures ,niversity of Ife, pp K21"K52 """""" 1293 GRitual Allusions in $oruba Ritualistic Art< 7ri"inu, Pisual and Perbal .etaphor G *aper read at the Ionference on the Relations )etween the Perbal and Pisual Arts in Africa *hiladelphia *ennsylvania 7ctober l"1K """""" 1293 GIdentity and the Artistic *rocess in the $oruba Aesthetic Ioncept of Iwa,G 9ournal of 4ultures and Ideas, 1<13"33 """""" 1298 >Perbal and Pisual .etaphors< .ythical Allusions in $oruba Ritualistic Art of 7ri,? Word and Image2 A 9ournal of "erbal/"isual In:uiry, 3, 3, 262"283 """""" 1223 >/he Nuture of African Art +tudies< An African *erspective,? in African Art !tudies2 7 e !tate of t e 5iscipline -ashington, DI< 4ational .useum of African Art, 53"92 """""" 2336 *ersonal communication """""" 2339 >-ho was the Nirst to +pea#T? in 7lupona, &acob and /erry Rey, eds 2339 +risa 5evotion as World 'eligion .adison< /he ,niversity of -isconsin *ress, pp61"52 Abraham, R I 1269 5ictionary of; 8odern 6oruba Mondon< ,niversity of Mondon *ress Ac#erman, Diane 1223 A <atural =istory of t e !enses 4ew $or#< Pintage Adede(i & A 1283 G/he 7rigin of the $oruba .asBue /heatre< /he ,se of Ifa Divination Iorpus as %istorical 'vidence, G African <otes 5 ;1=<83"95 )ascom, - 1252 Ifa 5ivination2 4ommunication between Gods and 8en in West Africa )loomington< Indiana ,niversity *ress """""" 1293 !ixteen 4owries2 6oruba 5ivination from Africa to t e <ew World )loomington< Indiana ,niversity *ress

33

)eyio#ii, A N 1281 Ifa, Its Wors ip and 1roverbs Magos< +ala#o *rinting -or#s )lier, +u@anne *reston, ed 233K Art of t e !enses2 African 8asterpieces from t e 7eel 4ollection )oston< .useum of Nine Arts )oone, +ylvia 1295 'adiance from t e Waters 4ew %aven< $ale ,niversity *ress Iampbell, )ola(i 2339 1ainting for t e Gods2 Art and Aest etics of 6oruba 'eligious 8urals/ /renton< Africa -orld *ress Iole, %erbert 1283 African Arts of 7ransformation +anta )arbara, IA< ,niversity of Ialifornia *ress """""" 128K >/he Art of Nestival in :hana,? African Arts, 9;3=<12"23, 53"52, 23 Ioo#sey, +usan, ed 233K !ense, !tyle, 1resence2 African Arts of 1ersonal Adornment :ainesville< +amuel * %arn .useum of Art Drewal, %enry &ohn 1298 GArt and Divination among the $oruba< Design and .yth,G Africana 9ournal, LIP, 2/3, pp 132"165 """""" 1293 African Artistry2 7ec ni:ue and Aest etics in 6oruba !culpture Atlanta< /he %igh .useum of Art """""" 1299 G)eauty and )eing< Aesthetics and 7ntology in $oruba )ody Art,G in A Rubin, ed 8arks of 4ivili>ation/ Mos Angeles< Nowler .useum of Iultural %istory, 93"25 """""" 1223 GAfrican Art +tudies /oday,G African Art !tudies2 7 e !tate of t e 5iscipline -ashington, DI< 4ational .useum of African Art, 22"52 """""" 1223 >Image and Indeterminacy< /he +ignificances of 'lephants and Ivory among the $oruba,? in D Ross, ed (lep ant2 7 e Animal and its Ivory in African 4ulture Mos Angeles< Nowler .useum of Iultural %istory, pp 195"238 """""" 2332 >Ielebrating -ater +pirits< Influence, Ionfluence, and Difference in I(ebu"$oruba and Delta .asBuerades,? in Ways of t e 'iver2 Arts and

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(nvironment of t e <iger 5elta ;Mos Angeles< Nowler .useum of Iultural %istory=, pp 123"216, 363 Drewal, % & and . /, Drewal 1293 Gelede2 Art and 0emale 1ower among t e 6oruba )loomington< Indiana ,niversity *ress Drewal, .argaret /hompson 1222 6oruba 'itual2 1erformers, 1lay, Agency )loomington< Indiana ,niversity *ress Drewal, . / and % & Drewal 1293 GAn Ifa DivinerWs +hrine in I(ebuland,G African Arts, 15, 2, pp 53"58, 22"133 'icher, &oanne ) , ed 1226 5ress and (t nicity2 4 ange Across !pace and 7ime -ashington, DI< )erg Nrobenius, M 1213/ 7 e "oice of Africa, "olume ? Mondon< %utchinson """""" 1283 G/he Religion of the $oruba,G in 3eo 0robenius, @ABC-@DBC2 An Ant ology ' 4aberland, ed -iesbadan< Nran@ +teiner Perlag, pp 153"121 :eurt@, Oathryn 2332 4ulture and t e !enses2 Eodily Ways of *nowledge in an African 4ommunity )er#eley< ,niversity of Ialifornia *ress :ladwell, .alcolm 2336 Elink 4$< Mittle, )rown %owes, David and Ianstance Ilassen ;12TT, 23TT, and others= Mamp, Nrederic#, ed 233K !ee t e 8usic, =ear t e 5ance2 'et inking African Art at t e Ealtimore 8useum of Art/ .unich< *restel .ason, &ohn 1292 *ersonal communication .aupoil, ) 12K3 3a gFomancie a l;ancienne cote des esclaves *aris< /ravau! et .Xmoires de lWInstitut dW'thnologie LMII .cIlelland ' 1255 G/he +ignificance of 4umber in the 7du of lfa,G Africa 35 ;K=<K21"K31 """""" 1292 7 e 4ult of Ifa among t e 6oruba Mondon< 'thnographica

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.erlo, I 128K G+tatuettes of the Abi#u Iult,G African Arts, 9 ;K=<33"36, 9K .itchell, - & / 122K 1icture 7 eory Ihicago< ,niversity of Ihicago *ress 7#edi(i, .oyo 1221 >$oruba *idgin Ihromacy,? in +ritameta2 1roceedings of t e @DDG 4onference on 6oruba Art, 15"29 'dited by 7#edi(i Department of Nine Arts, 7bafemi Awolowo ,niversity """""" ed 1222 1rinciples of ;7raditional; African Art Ibadan< )ard )oo# """""" Northcoming 4rossing t e 7 """""" 2333 7 e ! attered Gourd2 6oruba 0orms in 7wentiet -4entury American Art +eattle< ,niversity of -ashington *ress """""" 2339 >Inbetweeners< .amiwata and the %ybridity of Iontemporary African Art? in % & Drewal, ed !acred Waters2 Arts for 8ami Wata and ot er 5ivinities in Africa and t e 5iaspora )loomington< Indiana ,niversity *ress, pp K82"K21 7la, Abayomi 2336 *ersonal communication 7lupona, &acob and /erry Rey, eds 2339 +risa 5evotion as World 'eligion .adison< /he ,niversity of -isconsin *ress 7shitola, Oolawole 1292, 1295 *ersonal communications 7ttenberg, +imon 1286 8asked 'ituals of Afikpo2 7 e 4ontext of an African Art +eattle< ,niversity of -ashington *ress *ee#, *hilip 122K G/he +ounds of +ilence< Iross"-orld Iommunication and the Auditory Arts,G American (t nologist, 21 ;3=< K8K"K2K *emberton, &ohn, III, ed 2333 Insig t and Artistry in African 5ivination -ashington, DI< +mithsonian Institution *ress Rarey, .atthew 2339 >/he .irrors of .ardi :ras,? unpublished seminar paper, ,-".adison Reed, Daniel ) 2333 5an Ge 1erformance2 8asks and 8usic in 4ontemporary

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4ote d$Ivoire )loomington< Indiana ,niversity *ress Roach, .ary 'llen and &oanne 'icher 1283 023331 7 e "isible !elf2 1erspectives on 5ress 4&< *rentice"%all +oyin#a, -ole 2339 >/he /olerant :ods,? in 7lupona, &acob and /erry Rey, eds +risa 5evotion as World 'eligion .adison< /he ,niversity of -isconsin *ress, pp 31"63 +toller, *aul 129K >+ound in +onghay Iultural '!perience,? American (t nologist, 11 ;3=< 662"683 """""" 1292 7 e 7aste of (t nograp ic 7 ings2 7 e !enses in Ant ropology *hiladelphia< ,niversity of *ennsylvania *ress """""" 1228 !ensual !c olars ip *hiladelphia< ,niversity of *ennsylvania *ress +trother, Roe 1229 Inventing 8asks2 Agency and =istory in t e Art of t e 4entral 1ende Ihicago< ,niversity of Ihicago *ress """""" 2333 G+mells and )ells< /he Role of +#epticism in *ende Divination,G in Insig t and Artistry in African 5ivination, &ohn *emberton, ed -ashington, DI< +mithsonian Institution *ress, 22"116 /aussig, .ichael 1223 8imesis and Alterity2 A 1articular =istory of t e !enses 4$< Routledge """""" 233K 8y 4ocaine 8useum Ihicago< ,niversity of Ihicago *ress /hompson, Robert Narris 128K African Art in 8otion MA< ,niversity of Ialifornia *ress -itte, % 129K Ifa and (s u2 Iconograp y of +rder and 5isorder +oest %olland< Ounsthandel Mutti# $ai, 7labiyi 2335 *ersonal Iommunication

3K

D'M'/'D 0D'M'/' "" /he arts ;sculpture, dance, song, chant, poetry, incantations, etc =, as Rowland Abiodun ;1298, 2339= posits, are all classifiable as owe ;figures of speech=, matters that are the sub(ect of discussion, concern or action ;oro= +ro should be interpreted as the embodiment of ogbon, imo ati oye ;the one and indivisible combination of wisdom, #nowledge and understanding= "" a concept that precedes speech, visual and verbal arts, performance, touch and smell but includes them all and more in the sense of okanlenirinwo 1 0D'M'/'T "" 4otice also the mar#ed shifts in perspective and proportion

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throughout the figured border In #eeping with the seriate form any visual element may be enlarged or reduced at the discretion of the artist +uch a compositional mode documents the autonomy of individual motifs 'ven when the motifs on a divination tray are nonrepresentational, their arrangement remains serial/seriate E distinct sectors with contrasting geometric or organic configurations freBuently separated and delimited by borders""thereby conveying through non"ob(ective patterns the idea of uniBue, separate powers 1

0D'M'/'T "" 'ach section of the tray is a path and simultaneously a personified entity All ways are recogni@ed and invo#ed separately, some with attributes that distinguish their roles Nor e!ample, the diviners whose praise names are Gthe"one"who"proposes"with"the"rightG and the Gone" who"implements"with"the"leftG refer to the $oruba belief about the use of the right hand in social/worldy matters and the use of the left in sacred, mystical affairs /he diviner orients himself facing east toward an open doorway or path /his direction must be #ept clear during invocations to give free access to the forces called /he invocation and the presence of these forces assure success< their neglect courts disaster 1

0D'M'/'T "" Iompare this mar#ing of paths/lines on the tray by a babalawo with

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the lines, dots, and colors mar#ed on the head of a newly initiated orisa devotee ;adosu= ;A"&S* MA!#I$GS= /he reason I have described in detail the opening of the divinerDs tray, and compared it to the mar#ing of an adosuDs head, is the importance of gesture or motion E one of the seven senses involved in understandings of art It is the action of the diviner or priest that ac#nowledges and activates spirit to create evocative form or ona 1

%a1tions for figures to come