Divining chain

Museum number:
5-10844
Permalink:
ark:/21549/hm21050010844
Alternate number:
B-2024 (previous number (Bascom’s number))
Accession number:
Acc.4192
Description:
divining chain; opele nut pods, half penny, aluminum chain, brass chain, ivory beads, ostrich shell beads, misc. glass beads, 3 cast brass bells, aluminum key, misc. buttons, cotton cordage and a religious metal all connected; l. end to end 107 cm.
Donor:
Berta Bascom
Collection place:
Oyo, Oyo State, Nigeria
Verbatim coll. place:
Africa; Nigeria; Oyo; Yoruba
Culture or time period:
Yoruba
Collector:
Berta Bascom and William Russell Bascom
Collection date:
before 1967
Materials:
Aluminum (metal), Brass (alloy), Cotton (textile), Ivory (material), and Shell (animal material)
Object type:
ethnography
Function:
5.1 Religion and Divination: Objects and garb associated with practices reflecting submission, devotion, obedience, and service to supernatural agencies
Context of use:
divining chain. various objects - incl. beads, shells, coins, buttons, rings, small bells, and bit of metal - are attached to the bottom of the pods at either end of the chain. their purpose is to enable the diviner to distinguish the right and left half of the chain, so that the same half is always cast on the same side, so that the figure will not be misread. Cf. IFA DIVINATION pp. 29-31 for add'l information. Cf. 5-10842 for another example.
Department:
Africa (except Ancient Egypt)
Dimensions:
length 107 centimeters
Comment:
Cf. 5-10842; PAHMA Storage Loc: W-15-5
Images:
Hearst Museum object 1 of 3 titled Divining chain, accession number 5-10844, described as divining chain; opele nut pods, half penny, aluminum chain, brass chain, ivory beads, ostrich shell beads, misc. glass beads, 3 cast brass bells, aluminum key, misc. buttons, cotton cordage and a religious metal all connected; l. end to end 107 cm.Hearst Museum object 2 of 3 titled Divining chain, accession number 5-10844, described as divining chain; opele nut pods, half penny, aluminum chain, brass chain, ivory beads, ostrich shell beads, misc. glass beads, 3 cast brass bells, aluminum key, misc. buttons, cotton cordage and a religious metal all connected; l. end to end 107 cm.Hearst Museum object 3 of 3 titled Divining chain, accession number 5-10844, described as divining chain; opele nut pods, half penny, aluminum chain, brass chain, ivory beads, ostrich shell beads, misc. glass beads, 3 cast brass bells, aluminum key, misc. buttons, cotton cordage and a religious metal all connected; l. end to end 107 cm.
Legacy documentation:
Documentation associated with Hearst Museum object titled Divining chain, accession number 5-10844, described as divining chain; opele nut pods, half penny, aluminum chain, brass chain, ivory beads, ostrich shell beads, misc. glass beads, 3 cast brass bells, aluminum key, misc. buttons, cotton cordage and a religious metal all connected; l. end to end 107 cm.

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