Chapter 11

I f D i v i n at i o n : A M e t h o d
o f D i a g n o s i n g a n d T r e at i n g
C h r o n i c I l l n e s s e s / m d i a m o n g
Yo r u b a P e o p l e

Akinmayowa Akin-Otiko

The possibility of illness is a human reality that we face daily and has created
in every culture methods of responding to illnesses. This reality moves from
the realm of ordinary reality when an illness does not follow the expected
course or lasts longer than anticipated. In the Western biomedical paradigm,
such a course may be labeled chronic. But for the Yoruba, such a course
is not labeled chronic; it is rather labeled as having a supernatural cause.
It is at this point that a Yoruba traditional healer turns to If divination.
This conceptualization is not unique. Many cultures incorporate the idea that
suffering during an illness may be the result of some spiritual imbalance just
as the relief from suffering may come from the same spiritual source.
Traditional Yoruba are usually reluctant to begin any undertaking without
rst consulting If. Idowu (1996) noted that before a betrothal, marriage
contract, birth of a child, after the birth of a child, at every successive stage in
a persons life, before a king is appointed, before a journey is made, in times
of crisis, in times of sickness, at any time and at all times, If is consulted for
guidance and assurance (p. 78).
For the Yoruba, reality is rooted in both the physical and the spiritual
worlds. Yoruba traditional healers may relate to the physical/natural world
of reality without the need for supernatural intervention. But there is the
belief and practice of employing If divination/spiritual help when there is
the feeling of need for spiritual intervention and this can be for any aspect of
life including health.

M. J. Stoltzfus et al. (eds.), Chronic Illness, Spirituality, and Healing

Michael J. Stoltzfus, Rebecca Green, and Darla Schumm 2013
240 A k i n m ay o wa A k i n - O t i k o

If divination is a geomantic type of divination, a system that has 256

Od (verses or chapters) which a babalwo is to learn by heart (Simpson,
1994, p. 73). A babalwo is both the father of secret (Bascom, 1969, p. 81)
and onsgn (healer) that is trusted. Babalwo are diviners and healers who
are the custodians of If corpus, they are regarded as the chief medical con-
sultants in crisis time (Osunwole, 1989, p. 225). Abimbola (1976) referred
to babalwo as the guardians, counselors, philosophers and physicians of
their various communities (p. 18).
One can only become a babalwo after years of rigorous training. In most
cases they begin their training between the ages of 7 and 12. The length
of time spent in training depends on the ability of the trainee, and usually
lasts between 10 and 12 years. The trainee is expected to learn how to use
the paraphernalia of the divination system (the ikin and pl). Once famil-
iar with these, he begins to learn and to commit the verses of the 256 Od
to memory, with particular attention paid to the 16 principal Od. There
are no xed numbers of ese-od (verses of each of the If literary corpus)
that the trainee must learn before he qualies for initiation (Abimbola, 1976,
p. 19). Some hold that six verses of each of the 256 Odare required, while
some others hold that one must learn 16 verses of each of the 256 Od.
It is only after the trainee has learned and understood how to use the divina-
tion tools for diagnosis and prescription that he is initiated as a babalwo.
Initiation is usually not the end of training, as babalwo are expected to
always learn from one another. It is usually said that Babalwo t kf kf
t n un kf m, ti inu r ni y run (if a babalwo stops learning
how to divine, the knowledge he already has will diminish); and Onsgn
t k ogn m ogn, t n un k ogn m, ti inu r ni y run (if a
healer stops learning the use of medicine, the knowledge he already has will
diminish).
Each of these 256 Od has its own divination signature and ese (the
verse of the If literary corpus). It is believed that each of the 256 od has
hundreds of verses traditionally associated with it. The signatures are deter-
mined through the use of either pl (divination chain that has eight cowries
attached to it) or ikin (group of 16 palm-nuts). Once a signature is deter-
mined, the content of the verses explains to the diviner the nature of and
the treatment for the illness being diagnosed; because the If literary corpus
is an ancient well-preserved oral literature, which is the basis of a highly
systematized and effective traditional healing system used by the Yoruba
(Parrinder, 1976, p. 124).
If divination is employed to diagnose and treat cases that are perceived to
be chronic illnesses (mdi) because it is the avenue used to access a body of
religious directives with a basic purpose of determining the correct sacrice
necessary to secure a favourable resolution of the problem confronting the
client (Bascom, 1969, p. 60). This is why If may be regarded as the most
important rs [divinity] of the Yoruba people (Farrow, 1926, p. 3). For
the Yoruba, If is believed to have been sent by Oldmar, the Almighty
God, to use his profound wisdom to put the earth in order (Abimbola,