Divination set

The example of Dogon art is the popular divination sets, which often repeat images of ancestors, in this case, the mythical first ancestors. According to Dogon beliefs, the diviner can contact the spirit world. Among other things, the Dogon turn to him when some misfortune, illness or death occurs in their lives. It is believed that before any action is taken, the cause of the event must first be determined, which only a fortune-teller can do. Dogon women are also involved in divination. They are usually distinguished by a specific appearance feature, such as having four toes instead of five. An assistant accompanies the fortune-teller. The customer, through the assistant, asks the ancestors a question that may concern the death of a relative. The fortune-teller goes into a trance, and then her assistant asks whether the death was the will of the creator god Amma or the consequence of a spell cast by an evil sorcerer or witch. He seeks the answer to the question by looking at the body of the fortune-teller, carefully interpreting the vibrations of her muscles. The method is called shoulder divination. Notorious fortune-tellers receive 3-5 people a day in their homes.

Katarzyna Findlik-Gawron