Page 110 - Empires of Medieval West Africa

t h e m a n d e p e o p l e o f t h e m a l i E m p i r e

and interprets symbols on the
sand while guided by a super-
natural force.
Many diviners are black-
smiths, but anyone who has
the necessary power and
vision can practice the art,
including women. Some divin-
ers are Islamic practitioners
called moriw. Although they
are Muslims, they maintain
contact with the spirits of pre-
Islamic belief. These kinds of
diviners have been seen using
both cowrie shells and pages
of Arabic text to see into the
spirit world.
Diviners function as prob-
lem solvers and healers. Some-
one who is having trouble
getting pregnant will go to a diviner for help. So will a person with ill- Diviners, then and now,
ness in the family or a run of bad luck. The diviner interprets the signs combine traditional
to identify the source of the client’s problem, perhaps finding that the beliefs, such as fortune-
client has a human enemy somewhere or has accidentally offended a telling using shells, with
the Muslim religious
spirit. beliefs of the Quran.
The diviner will then prescribe a solution that often involves mak-
ing a sacrifice. The nature of the sacrifice depends on the seriousness of
the problem. It could range from a few kola nuts or a chicken to some-
thing as valuable as a goat or a cow.

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