M0012645: Carved Adjella Ifa ritual bowl, Nigeria

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Photograph of an adjella ifa ritual bowl made c.1880-1920 in Nigeria, and used by Yoruba diviners to hold palm nuts. The bowl has been carved into a female form carrying a child on her back, kneeling, and offering the bowl in respect to Ifa, the god of divination, and the lid in the form of a hen; the diviner would use the bowl to seek answers to questions about an illness. This item was accessioned by the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum but is now held by the Science Museum (A123603).

M0012645: Carved Adjella Ifa ritual bowl, Nigeria

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