IGALA IFA STUDIES

By Ayegba Abdullahi

© IGALA IFA STUDIES 2021

Preface
This booklet is about the study of Ifa divination and its importance. Though
little, it has been able to educate on the various types of Ifa in Igala tradition
as well as the how Igala people make use of Ifa to communicate with the
ancestors.

IGALA IFA STUDIES

Ifa is Igala word. It was the first form of Igala writing, hence the word, “Fa”,
meaning to write in respect of Ifa done one sand or written with ink from
wood. Letter “I” added behind it as Ifa as a result of Igala people with the
character of adding “I” at the beginning of words starting with consonants.
An Ifa is a medium used by humans for communicating with spirits or
ancestors. It is a device for determining secret things or finding out about
something. Ifa is a form of divination. A divination is the act of seeking after
knowledge of future or hidden things by inadequate means that is usually
supplemented by some power which is represented all through history as
coming from the gods (Alamu, et al., 2013). Ifa is also defined as the act or
practice of communication between humans and the ancestors, gods and
goddesses. The ancestors, gods or goddesses do not communicate with
relatives or humans physically or face-to-face except through Ifa, dreams,
signs and wonders.
In Igala context, the act of performing Ifa or Ifa divination is known as Ifa-
ebo, and the priest of Ifa who performs the Ifa divination is called Abifa
(Abo-ifa, meaning one who interprets Ifa) or Ebifa (Ene ki a bifa, the one
who predicts from Ifa). Ifa, a message on how to tackle the challenges
surrounding nations and individual life (Ogunleye, 2019) can be applied to
provide some solutions to problems. Ifa directs the consultant into proper
direction (Olusegun, et al., 2010), the message which will then be delivered
to the concerned person or persons.
Origin of world creation: The Perspectives of Ancient Egyptians and
Igala
According to Egyptian perspective, the world or universe was originally of
water and darkness. The great God, Amun or Ra, the god of sun, felt lonely
and said it was time to create the world using his magic power. He
commanded a hill to rise in the middle of the water. On it, he created Shu, the
god of air and Tefnut, the goddess of moisture. While Ra continued to create
or command other creatures to be in the world, Shu and Tefnut created Nut
(sky goddess) and Geb (earth god), and these two (Nut and Geb) gave birth to
Osiris (god of justice, agriculture and rebirth ), Isis (goddess of love, Magic),
Set (god of Chaos and war) and Horus (god of war, hunting, sky or distant
vision). These gods and goddess beginning with Osiris ruled and guarded the
world including teaching the humans in the area of agriculture and
civilization until they died and pharaoh took over as the representatives of the
gods. The god and goddesses also guarded him to rule as they were all around
him in spirit especially through dreams.
According to Igala perspective, the supreme God was alone and decided to
create the world which was just covered with ocean. He then commanded a
hill to appear in the middle of the ocean, and then created air for life and
moisture or water for life too. He then created the earth god (Ojo-ane) and
sky goddess (Ojo-ale/Ate). The Ojo-ane is still being worshipped or
celebrated yearly by Attah Igala till date. The shrine is located at Ofiji along
Opuata-Angwa Ayegba road. These Ojo-ane and Ojo-ate later gave birth to
the gods and goddesses such as Iye (Mother goddess), Ukpakachi
(god/goddess of marriage, love, lucks), Ichekpa (god/goddess of magic,
healings, wonders), Oko/Ata (Male/head deities for protection, rulership,
war).The supreme God then created/commanded all living things to be in
pairs (male and female) and other things needed in the world by man. These
gods and goddesses ruled the world, and after their death or changing to
spirits, humans (Ata) took over as the representative of the gods and
goddesses, and being guided by the spirits of these gods and goddess who he
would communicate with always hence the wearing of earrings by ancient
Pharaohs and Attah Igala. That is why many Attah Igala including Attah
Idakwo Ameh Oboni II at one point or the other have said that they are the
representative of God on earth.
Earth god (Ojo-ane) picture
Origin of Ifa
The world was first ruled or guarded by various spirits (gods and goddesses)
in form of humans then as they were created by God almighty to guard and
guide the male and female he had created as well as how to make use of the
resources available for their betterment. These gods and goddesses also had
various roles ranging from security, fertility, agriculture, good health, magic,
wonders, death, love, reproduction, etc. At a point, these gods and goddesses
died and became spirit. Humans could no longer communicate with them
physically but they worshipped them in their temples or shrines. They had
various priests through whom others like the Attah or head of Igala talked to
the gods and goddesses. When the head or Attah in particular and other
people he was ruling started having problems and seeing different signs and
wonders which were very strange to them, he had to go to the temple of the
gods and goddesses of signs and wonders and complained to them through
the priest in charge of the gods and goddesses. That was how the gods and
goddesses started making the priest to understand some things through vision
and in a dream and started interpreting some signs to the humans or Attah as
well as the possible solutions given by the spirits. That was the origin of
humans seeing vision and interpreting them.
But, even with this, there was no way humans can communicate immediately
or instantly with the gods and goddesses to find out about something. The
leader again went to the temple of the gods and goddesses in charge of signs
and wonders (including magic) to appeal to them for the medium between
them for instant or immediate communication to enable him (Attah) find
instant causes of problems as well as their solutions to allow him rule
peacefully. That was when the gods and goddesses of wonders, signs and
magic possessed their priest and he was given the description, methods, and
interpretations as well as instant enquiry capacity from the gods and
goddesses by humans. He started practicing what he was shown like dreams
by writing of those things on the ground and rocks. He could write them on
rocks using ink/liquid from wood or on the ground or sand accordingly and
say their names and their meanings correctly. This was the origin of Ifa
among Igala. The process of drawing or writing the elements or things given
to the priest on the sand or rock was were the name Ifa originated from. “Fa”
means to write it and “Ifa” means “he writes it” though another school of
thought revealed that “I” was later added to the “Fa” to make it Ifa as Igala
are fond of adding letter “I” to words not having any vowel at the beginning.
In other words, the interpretation is done from what was written on the
ground or sand. The gods and goddesses of wonder, signs and magic in Igala
is Ichekpa (bush babies or fairies). They were the ones that gave who humans
Ifa to use in communicating with the spirits or those who cannot be seen
physically. Till date, they (bush babies) still give people they like different
powers or gifts such as curing herbs, rain making, intelligent in school, good
luck, continuous prospering in business, etc. An Ichekpa is human-like form
living in the bush or forest though smaller in size. They are spirits, hence
cannot be seen except the powerful hunters and those they feel like showing
themselves to but in a snappy or sudden way. It is worthy of note here that Ifa
is the first form of writing in Igala or by Igala people. The person who
practices or understands how to make and interprets Ifa is called Ifa priest.
3.3 Relationship between the head of Ifa in ancient Egyptian and Igala
Kingdom King
The king of the ancient Egypt was known as Pharaoh while that of Igala is
Attah. Both of them have many similarities. While Pharaoh means “The
Great house”, Attah (Ata) as an ancient Egyptian word means “The Great one
or father or elder”. Both Attah Igala and ancient Egyptian Pharaohs wear
earrings.
Ifa (Wadjet, Edjo and Ejo) or Divination: Divination is the practice of
determining the hidden things or cause of events. It is also the practice of
communicating with the gods or deities. Ink was mainly used in Ancient
Egypt to draw the divination elements on objects for interpretation. It was
learnt that writing them on sand makes it easier to erase than ink on object.
That was how sand oracle called Ifa Ebutu in Igala commenced in ancient
Egypt where Igala originated from. The name Ifa was from the Igala word
“Fa” which means draw, and as usual, Igala would always add “I” to the
beginning of most words starting with consonants. That was how “I” was
added to Fa making it Ifa till date. Ifa was used by Pharaohs to communicate
with the gods and goddesses. Attah Igala uses Ifa to communicate with the
ancestors as well as the gods and goddesses too. The goddess of Ifa in ancient
Egypt was called Wadjet in Roman language and Edjo in ancient Egypt while
that of Igala is Ichekpa in Igala language. The title of the person in charge of
Attah Igala’s Ifa is called Ohioga Attah. Further interactions with Ifa spirits
(gods/goddess) led to the revelation other Ifas such as cola nuts, mirror,
water, calabash, in Igala land today. The goddess of Ifa in ancient Egypt is
called Wadjet in Roman language and Edjo in ancient Egypt, Ejo in Igala and
snake in English. In ancient Egypt, there was also a priest in charge of Edjo
or divination.
In both cases- Igala and ancient Egypt, their believes was that the humans
interact with or communicate with ancestors, gods and goddesses through the
Ifa spirit and the ancestors, gods and goddesses that were said to be humans
before they died then take their problems to God almighty and bring the
solutions to them through the Ifa too.
4.0 Types of Ifa
There are about six different types of Ifa in Igala but they common one is the
one written or done on sand. It is called Ifa Ebu (Ifa done on the sand or sand
Ifa). The Ifa Ebutu is a common denominator to other Ifas as it can be used to
interpret them. Some types of Igala Ifas are Ifa Ebutu, Ifa Anwa, Ifa Eyoko
(Cowries), Ifa Obi, Ifa Egigo,and Ifa omi.
Ifa Ebutu: It is the Ifa divination done on sand. The sand used for this Ifa is
not just ordinary sand but sand gotten from stream, river then dried or from
junctions where three roads or seven roads meet. The sand are occasionally
given wine by pouring small quantity of wine on the ground in front of the Ifa
sand either during divination or before divination. The collection of the sand
from the stream was to allow the water spirits accompany it for brighter
interpretation and clear message delivery. The junction is also believed to be
the meeting point of different spirits; hence, collecting the sand from such
location makes the Ifa sand powerful, “speaks” very well and makes its
interpretation easy with the aid of the accompanied spirits from the road. The
dry sand is put on animal skin or mat during divination. The processes of the
Ifa Ebutu divination will be explained later.
Ifa Anwa: This type of Ifa is made up of array or row of small pieces of
calabash connected together with a rope. It was originally made from the fruit
of a particular tree which resembles Iroko called Anwa in Igala language. The
dry fruit opens into two like groundnut shelf but it is as big as the palm of an
adult. It is also very heavy, hence the adoption of lighter replacement, the
calabash. They are four rows and one row is made up of four pieces of
calabash. The interpretation is based on how each of the pieces opens or
closes in the four rows. The incantation or voice message is made into the
Okwute by the person seeking for information from it. The Okwute is a small
but strong bone of animal. It is used just like the modern day microphone in
which it is talked into. After talking into the Okwute, the Okwute is then used
to touch some of the rows and columns calabash pieces which are the Ifa
anwa. After that, the Ifa will be cast or tossed in a way that they will form
lines as they were but the opening and closing is determined by the spirit in
order to deliver the message which the Ifa priest or Abifa will interpret.
Ifa Eyoko: This type of Ifa divination is performed using cowries. The
cowries are mostly four in number. They are carried in the hand and
incantations made into them, then gently thrown or cast down on an animal
skin or mat. Eyoko is the Igala name for cowry. Cowry were used as money
in those days, hence the name, Eyo-Oko, meaning pieces of money (Oko in
Igala language is money in English).
Ifa Obi: This type of Ifa divination is performed using four lobes or
cotyledons of broken kola nuts. The Kola nut used for this Ifa is the one with
four divisions or cotyledons when broken. It is popularly called Obi Igala,
meaning Igala Kolanut. It is also called Obi Ibo-egwu (Ibegwu), meaning the
kola nut of the ancestors. In Yoruba, this type of Ifa is called Obi divination.
The Ifa Obi is done by Ifa priest just the same method as the Ifa Eyoko. Obi
is an Igala word for Kola nut.
Ifa Egigo: This type of Ifa divination is performed by looking into a mirror
by an Ifa Egigo priest. Egigo is the Igala name for mirror, hence the name,
Ifa Egigo.
Ifa omi: This type of Ifa divination is made by looking into water in a small
container such as calabash or its likes by an Ifa omi priest. Omi is an Igala
word for water.
The Sixteen Elements of Ifa Ebutu
There are sixteen elements of Igala Ifa Ebutu. These elements have different
names some of which are strange language of the spirit, but they all have
their various meanings. The names of the elements of Ifa is referred to as Odu
Ifa in Igala. The sixteen elements of Ifa Ebutu according to their number or
rank and their meanings are 1. Anikocheje (god), 2. Olaika (Male), 3.
Etemetedali (At the top or movement) 4. Ayibiyala (goddess or water
goddess, or mother) 5. Ateliki (Child), 6. Okwubaja (To see or visible), 7.
Alehumola (Female), 8. Alumukwu (Death, Blood), 9. Inachaja (Joy,
laughter), 10. Achika (Father) 11. Atamahi (Grave, four legged object e.g.
goat, car), 12. Onuchudali/Omuchudali (Witch or Wizard, light skinned
person), 13. Otuba (Sadness) 14. Inikiladi (talk, quarrel, enmity), 15.
Okwubadala (lies, deceit) 16. Ajema (Gathering, multitude, many).
In addition, these elements can also be interpreted in different ways when
they change their locations. For instance, when Ajema which is at number
sixteen appears at number thirteen, it becomes money instead of multitude or
many people. When Olaika which is at number two changes to number seven,
if the Ifa is about a lady on whether to determine if she has “known a man” or
not, having Olaika at number seven indicates that she has already known a
man and no longer a virgin. When Alumukwu at number eight appears at
number ten, a male elder is likely to die soon, etc.
But unlike Ifa Anwa in which the incantation is said or done into the Okwute
before using it to touch the Ifa, the case of Ifa Ebutu involves one making
incantation into the palm of the right hand and then using the palm to partly
clean or rub the four or more Ifa elements written on the sand. The Ifa priest
then makes four dash- dash lines with all having different lengths. These are
done four times to get a new four elements which will be the major elements
of Ifa in that performance, and these four elements are used to make the
complete sixteen elements, that is; having twelve more as their derivatives
known as the children in Igala context. These sixteen elements will be
interpreted by the Ifa priest based on their appearance as coordinated by the
Ifa spirit based on the message of the gods, goddesses or the ancestors.
IMPORTANCE OF IFA
Some importance of Ifa are as follows:
a. To investigate the causes of things: When one is sick and he or she has
taken some medications and the sickness still persists for two or more days,
he or she would ask for the reason. In some cases, it might be as a result of
the sin of the person. Some men do what is forbidden in their clan just
because they are no longer in the village. Some wives also do what is
forbidden because they or their husband no longer have hands in Igala
tradition. They are not always lucky as some would be brought back to the
village with terrible sicknesses and their people in the village had to start
investigating through Ifa divination, and when the causes of the sickness are
known, they do what is said or revealed by the Ifa priest, and the person lives
again though some die if he or she refused to speak the truth until the
sickness becomes very terrible, investigations revealed.
b.. To examine the future: Till date, some people investigate traditionally
before they join any elective race. In the olden days, people don’t marry
anyhow. They assess the future of the marriage. This is done before they
approach the family of the lady for her hand in marriage. Some people in
those days consult the gods or the ancestors before travelling.
c. To seek solutions to problems: In those days, wars were common. Tribal
leaders consult the gods and goddesses through the Ifa for the way to win the
war. When rain is not falling or bad sickness is coming closer to the
communities around, the leader would seek the face of the ancestors on what
to do. That was how many ancient Kings did and ruled their people safely or
undefeated in wars
d. To seek for information from the ancestors: In those days, and still till
date according to my investigations, when one is fighting for an important
position like trying to be the traditional ruler of their community or clan, they
consult their ancestors (father, grandfather,…) on what he or she should do to
be the one that would be crowned the ruler or to be favoured.
e. To communicate with the gods and goddesses or the ancestors:
Sometimes, people have bad dreams, or dreaming and be seeing a relative
who was already dead, maybe the father. Sometimes, not all he told the
person in the dream that he or she would remember in the morning or when
the person wakes up. Sometimes, it could be in the form of warning. Of
course, no way to tell your late dad that you forgot some of the things he told
you in the dreams or that you were not clear or asking for more clarifications.
The only way to communicate with him is through the Ifa. He would surely
send the message to you through the Ifa, and will be delivered to you by the
Ifa Priest.
f. For general guardians, peace and progress in Igala land: At a particular
time, some communities may be experiencing some strange happenings such
as social vices, sudden deaths here and there, death of youths, different
tragedies in the community, the community head or elders of the community
would go out individually or in group to consult the gods and goddesses of
the land as well as the ancestors on how to stop all such problems and
ensuring a lasting peace among them.
g. For the revelation of the past, present and future: Ifa reveals what has
happened in the past. Sometimes, it might be coincidence. The person
consulting the Ifa may be asking for another thing but additional information
will come up.
h. To reveal secret happenings or things: There is nothing on earth that can
be hidden from Ifa. This is because there is nothing that can be hidden from
the god or spirit in charge of Ifa. It is only Ifa that can reveal any secret thing
done by anyone in the society, at home or anywhere when enquired of.
References

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