Agerre Ifa is the bowl which the priest or Babalawo of the ‘Ifa oracle’ preserves the 16 palm nuts or Ikin needed for his divination.The ‘Ifa oracle’ of the Yoruba people works as follows: the supplicant and the divination Babalawo sit opposite one another, between them lies the round or angular divination board (‘Opon Ifa’). The ‘client’ asks his questions – he tells the diviner what he would like to know. Whilst reciting, the ‘Babalawo’ taps the divination board with his pointer (‘Iroke Ifa’) therewith ensuring the appropriate gods answer the ‘client’s’ questions. The ‘Babalawo’ then strews white wood flour over the divination board, takes 16 ‘holy’ palm nuts from the ‘Agere Ifa’ bowl (like the present one) and throws the nuts onto the white floured board. Based on the position of the 16 nuts, the diviner is then able to ‘read’ what the supplicant wants to know. This piece was obtained back 2002.

Measures: 10" each in length, 9" in width, bowl 71/2" in diameter, inner bowl 5", 1" deep