Page-137-R

*    halves of the seed. At one end

inline

*    of each string a small bell (ɛɽoɽo

inline

*    [ ˥ ˥ ˥ ]) and some cowries are

inline

*    fastened. The diviner (ɔb-ogwɛga

inline

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

inline

*    string and throws them with the

inline

*    intention of turning them upside

inline

*    down. The subsequent arrange-

inline

*    ment of seeds is then analysed

inline

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

inline

*    code (itie [ ˩ ˥ ]), the criterion

inline

*    being the “open” or “covered”

inline

*    position of the seed-halves. The

inline

*    analysis is said to proceed at first

inline

*    from the right side to the left,

inline

*    and, after that, in the opposite

inline

*    direction, but as if the arrange-

inline

*    ment were looked at from the

inline

*    other end of the strings. The

inline

*    different positions have names,

inline

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

inline

*    two outer seed-halves showing

inline

*    their inside, and the two inner

inline

*    halves showing their cover.

inline

*    (Under the headings dealing

inline

*    with these positions, o. will

inline

*    mean “open”, and c. “covered”+,

inline

*    as reckoned from the top of the

inline

*    string.) The names of the

inline

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

inline

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

inline

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

inline

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

inline

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

inline

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

inline

*    relations of two strings to one

inline

*    another are always considered,

inline

*    these names are usually com-

inline

*    bined, e.g. ɔh-ɔɣae [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ] (ɔha

inline

*    + ɔɣae). If both positions are

inline

*    the same, their name is followed

inline

*    by n-abe [ \ ˩ ] “combined”, e.g.

inline

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

inline

*    this divination gives a fixed

inline

*    sentence for each of these com-

inline

*    binations, and the task of the

inline