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* halves of the seed. At one end

* of each string a small bell (ɛɽoɽo

* [ ˥ ˥ ˥ ]) and some cowries are

* fastened. The diviner (ɔb-ogwɛga

* [ ˩ ˥ (4-1) ˩ ]) seizes one end of each

* string and throws them with the

* intention of turning them upside

* down. The subsequent arrange-

* ment of seeds is then analysed

* (v. eria [ ˩ ˥ ]) according to a certain

* code (itie [ ˩ ˥ ]), the criterion

* being the “open” or “covered”

* position of the seed-halves. The

* analysis is said to proceed at first

* from the right side to the left,

* and, after that, in the opposite

* direction, but as if the arrange-

* ment were looked at from the

* other end of the strings. The

* different positions have names,

* e.g. odĩ [ ˩ ˥ ] is a string with the

* two outer seed-halves showing

* their inside, and the two inner

* halves showing their cover.

* (Under the headings dealing

* with these positions, o. will

* mean “open”, and c. “covered”+,

* as reckoned from the top of the

* string.) The names of the

* positions are: odĩ [ ˩ ˥ ], oɣoi [ ˩ ˩ ],

* oɽuhu [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ], ɔɣae [ ˩ ˥ ], ogbi [ ˥ ˩ ],

* ako [ ˩ ˥ ], ose [ ˩ ˥ ], ohũ [ ˩ ˥ ],

* ɛrhoxwa [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ], ɛka [ ˩ ˥ ], ɔkã [ ˩ ˩ ],

* ɔʋa [ ˩ ˩ ], etuɽɛ [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ], ete [ ˩ ˩ ],

* ɔha [ ˩ ˥ ] and eɣitã [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ]. As the

* relations of two strings to one

* another are always considered,

* these names are usually com-

* bined, e.g. ɔh-ɔɣae [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ] (ɔha

* + ɔɣae). If both positions are

* the same, their name is followed

* by n-abe [ \ ˩ ] “combined”, e.g.

* ɔkã n-abe [ ˩ ˩ \ ˩ ]. The “code” of

* this divination gives a fixed

* sentence for each of these com-

* binations, and the task of the
